The WAIGE Chronicles
by WriterFreak001
Summary: Just several drabbles of Waige stories I write based off of requests and personal ideas.
1. A Mother's Instinct

**WriterFreak001: **

I am doing a series of Waige one-shots. I will post them here as well. Each chapter will not be connected to the chapters beforehand. They are single stories that will have nothing to do with each other; I would just like to have them all in one place. :D

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This is my first one-shot request. I was given permission to post it onto FFN. :)

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**Title** | A Mother's Instinct

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | What happens when Cabe drops a screaming baby into the team's hands and tells them to look after the infant until the baby's father can be located? How will the team respond? (Cute one-shot requested by kstarbear on TUMBLR)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for mild sexual themes and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**NOTE: **

_This short story will take place in the future…. Sometime after Walter and Paige become canon, but before the rest of the team knows about it. (I have a feeling that whenever they become canon, they'll be hiding their relationship from everyone else for a while)._

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**A Mother's Instinct**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Walter descended the stairs of the garage and found everybody working on their own projects. Sylvester was at his board, Toby was reading, Happy was tinkering away at her desk and Paige was cleaning breakfast dishes in the kitchen. A smile found Walter's lips as he slowly made his way to the kitchen where Paige was softly humming to herself while scrubbing a pan with soap.

"Morning," Walter muttered softly as he gently rested his palm against the small of Paige's back.

She jumped from his sudden touch but quickly recovered with a soft smile. "Careful," she whispered, "We don't want to give a certain shrink any ideas."

"Right," Walter nodded and withdrew his hand from her back before pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Did you, um, did you sleep well last night?"

"So-so," Paige shrugged with a grin. "You?"

"Same." Walter muttered before taking a sip of his coffee. "Sorry, I couldn't swing by last night. Things got hectic here…, and once Toby and Happy left, I had to give Sly a ride home since Cabe had to leave early for some Homeland business."

"And I've told you before," Paige lightly poked him in the chest after she placed the pan onto the rack, "you don't need to apologize every time you can't follow through with our plans; we both lead busy lives. I have Ralph, and you have this team."

"I know," Walter ran his hand through his hair. "But…it's happened a lot lately, and I…feel bad about it."

"Don't be." Paige said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to an abandoned area of the garage. She hooked her arms around his neck and added, "Ralph returns from Portland in three days. You have more than enough time to make things up to me." She pulled him down for a quick kiss. "And… if you can't make it over to my place, I'll come over here tonight." She smiled and cupped his cheeks. "We'll figure it out, Walter. We'll find our balance."

As his palms found the small of her back, he forced a smirk. "Is there, um, is there any chance I could make it up to you right now?"

"I wish," Paige laughed lightly as she gently smacked his cheek. "Tonight seems promising, though." She paused and then pulled him into a heated kiss; as her tongue found his, he hoisted her into the air and set her down on the hood of his long, forgotten car that Happy never fixed for him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and muttered, "Then again, tonight is so far away," against his lips.

Walter hummed in agreement as his hand crawled up underneath her shirt, found the clasp of her bra and unhooked it with ease. He began to pull at her shirt, when -

"Got another case!" Cabe bellowed over the sound of a crying infant from the front of the garage.

Walter groaned and pulled away from Paige as he raked his hand through his hair. "I'll go see what Cabe wants," Walter muttered to Paige. "Take the backstairs to the loft. You can fix your clothes up there."

"Okay," Paige gave him a quick kiss and made her way to the back as Walter straightened his tie and fixed his collar. He cleared his throat and quickly made his way towards Cabe.

"Where the hell have you been?" Cabe asked him as the infant continued to whine.

"Busy," was all Walter said on the matter. "Why…do you have that in your arms," the 197 IQ genius pointed to the baby. "And why can't you get it to stop crying?"

"The baby's mother," Cabe started to yell but paused and made his way over to Happy. "Hold her for a minute."

"Uhh, I know nothing about babies." Happy's eyes grew wide.

"I'm not asking you to nurse her; I'm just asking you to hold her." Cabe groaned.

Happy held her hands out at arms' length, and Cabe placed the child in her hands. She quickly handed the baby to Sylvester. "Here."

"Why me? Babies are covered with germs, Happy!"

"Because you have more cushion." Happy replied as she shivered on her way back to her desk and muttered, "I hate babies."

Sylvester grimaced at the mewling, screaming baby and also held him out at arm's length.

Cabe continued as he and Walter walked away from the human calculator and the crying baby. "The baby's mother was convicted today. I need you and the team to find the father of the child; you have 24 hours before social services takes her away."

"Okay… Shouldn't be too hard…. But's it's going to be difficult to concentrate with all of that screaming." Walter frowned.

"Well… I think she might need a diaper change. I'd have to go to the store to buy some though." Cabe crossed his arms.

"Okay. You do that. I'm sure we can figure out what to do with her until then." Walter swallowed. He knew nothing about infants. "Once Paige comes back down -"

"Where is she?" Cabe's eyebrows lifted.

"Um… in the loft," Walter answered quickly without explanation. "Anyway," he folded his arms, "Once Paige gets down here, I'm sure she'll know what to do."

"All right. I'll stay until she comes back down." Cabe nodded as Sylvester made his way over to Toby and told the shrink to take the baby girl.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Happy called out to Sly. "He's a spiller, remember?"

"Yeah. Butterfingers and babies do not mix," Toby said as he carried the infant at arms' length and gave her to Walter. Walter held the infant in his hands and looked at the little girl as though he had never seen a baby before.

"And just what makes you think I'm any better with babies than you?" Walter glanced at Toby and then quickly looked back at the screaming child. He was so afraid he was going to drop her.

"I don't know?" Toby shrugged. "You handle Ralph pretty well."

"Ralph is eleven, dumbass." Happy called out to Toby. "He's potty trained and isn't annoying as hell."

Before Toby could answer, Paige came running down the stairs. Thank God. She carefully took the baby out of Walter's hands and held the child close to her chest. "Well no wonder you're so fussy," Paige laughed as she felt the baby's diaper. "Definitely a dirty diaper."

"That's my cue to leave then," Cabe said quickly and then left. Paige ordered Walter to fetch a cloth and safety pins. She then told Toby to find a washcloth and damp it with water. Paige sent Happy to find a blanket, and she didn't bother sending Sylvester anywhere; he was too busy disinfecting himself with hand sanitizer.

"This is the only blanket I could find. It was in the loft." Happy said as she came down the stairs. "What do I do with it?"

"Put it on the ground as neatly as you can." Paige replied; once the blanket was on the floor, Paige gently placed the baby on top of the blanket. Walter returned with a clean cloth and a handful of safety pins. He didn't know how many Paige would need.

Toby scrambled back into the office with a damp cloth and handed it to Paige. "Now what?"

"Now, you just leave everything to me." Paige replied with a smile. "But first, I need someone to watch the baby while I go and wash my hands." Toby, Happy and Sylvester took three giant steps away from the baby as Walter watched the mewling infant with curiosity. "Thanks a bunch!" Paige smiled at him and disappeared.

"Wait, what am I doing?" Walter's eyebrow twitched.

"Just make sure the baby doesn't kill over," Toby patted Walter's back and then rushed off to his desk.

Paige returned a minute later and worked quickly. She removed the diaper and hollered "TRASH CAN!" Toby grabbed Sylvester's trash can and handed it to the mother. Sylvester balked and Toby only shrugged in response as he placed the bin on the ground next to Paige. Walter watched Paige clean the girl with the damp washcloth. He watched Paige with fascination. Once the infant was clean, the cries started to lessen. As soon as Paige pinned the dry cloth onto the baby's bottom, she picked the girl up and shushed her as she rocked her in her arms.

She rose to her feet and slowly walked about the garage, softly humming to the infant after ordering Toby to dump Sylvester's trash bin into the dumpster out back. Walter's eyes followed Paige; the baby was starting to fall asleep. Walter wondered if the way Paige was coddling the baby and singing to her was how she took care of Ralph when he was an infant.

Walter knew Paige was a great mother, but seeing her interact with an infant gave Walter a brand new perspective as to how he saw Paige's mothering skills. She was a natural. While everyone else on the team were too afraid to drop the baby, it took barely five minutes for Paige to change the baby's diaper and rock her to sleep.

She took a seat at her desk and wrapped her jacket around the baby as she held her in her arms. She caught him looking at her, and she smiled. For a moment, Walter had a glimpse of what life could be like in the future.

As he watched the woman he had fallen in love with continue rocking the infant to sleep, he could see himself having some sort of future with Paige….

That maybe, just maybe, having their own children would be a very similar experience. He would be frantically running around, trying to figure out how to calm their child, and she would just pick the baby up and sing him or her to sleep.

And as he approached her, he realized that a future with Paige was exactly what he wanted. And he had to wonder if she wanted it too.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001:**

I hoped you liked this cute one-shot.

If you want a one-shot written for WAIGE, you can either send me a request on my TUMBLR: a-beautiful-mind-wf001 or PM me if you don't have a TUMBLR. I won't write these as frequently as my own stories, but I promise I will get to them. :D

What did you think?


	2. Rockets & Fireworks

**WriterFreak001: **

Second requested one-shot.

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**Title** | Rockets &amp; Fireworks

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Just a short story on a future New Year's Eve celebration between Walter &amp; Paige. (One-shot requested by screamfan1234 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for mild sexual themes and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**Rockets &amp; Fireworks**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Four years have passed since Paige and Ralph stumbled into Walter's life, and he was still baffled as to how a guy like him could ever be so lucky. For years, he never believed in luck; there was only math and science. Facts. But as Paige and Ralph became more involved in his personal life, he had begun to see changes in his overall perspective of the world. Guys like him usually didn't end up marrying beautiful women, but here Walter was, on the rooftop of the garage, intently watching his wife observe the stars.

Many nights, for the past two years, he kept telling himself he was living a dream, but the gold band on his finger said differently. He didn't understand the significance of wearing a wedding band, but because Paige found the symbolism important, he wore it for her. She was his most important thing, and he was willing - well, mostly willing - to do crazy, illogical things for her even if it didn't make sense to him. Tonight, they were celebrating New Year's Eve. Another thing Walter really didn't understand, but because Paige wanted to do something special for some odd reason, Walter went with it.

Initially, Paige had wanted a big celebration with the Scorpion family, but everyone already made plans. Ralph went to Portland to spend some quality time with Drew. The man still peeved Walter from time to time, but he slowly came to the fact that if he wanted to have a relationship with Ralph as his step-father, he was going to have to establish some mutual ground with the boy's biological father.

Toby and Happy were out of town, celebrating their third engagement (it's been an on-again, off-again cycle for the past four years), while Sylvester was with Megan at the hospital. Sly mentioned something about proposing again, hoping that Megan would accept his proposal for the first time after three other tries. Walter really didn't understand why his sister kept shooting Sly down; they were happy together, but maybe she was just contented with the way things were. Who knew?

"You're awfully quiet," Paige laughed as she hooked her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a chaste kiss. "Something on your mind?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "When isn't there?"

"True," Paige smiled and cupped his cheeks. "The countdown is in thirty seconds."

"I still don't understand the importance of counting down til the New Year. It's not like we've never experienced the dawn of a new year before." Walter rolled his eyes, causing Paige to release a light laugh.

"Because," she lightly smacked his cheek, "it's fun!"

"It's ridiculous," Walter forced a chuckle. "If they're going to count down to a New Year, they might as well launch a rocket in the process. Now that would make the countdown worth my time."

"Is that so?" Paige raised an eyebrow. "Challenge accepted," she muttered before grabbing his tie and yanking him down for a searing kiss. The city started screaming 'ten!' from all around them as she rolled her tongue into his mouth and lost her fingers within his unruly hair. His palms found her backside as she jumped and coiled her legs around his waist. As the city screamed "HAPPY NEW YEAR" before fireworks started shooting into the sky, Paige pulled away and muttered, "Still prefer that rocket idea?"

Her breath was hot as it brushed against the short hairs of his chin. He couldn't think clearly as her lips found his earlobe. He stammered his response. "I'm, uh," he closed his eyes as her soft touches sent shivers down his spine, "gonna h-have to, um, uh…," Oh, to hell with it! He grabbed her face and pulled her in for a hungry kiss before he started mindlessly walking towards the door to carry her to their bedroom.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"Walter?" Paige muttered softly as she leaned against her husband and watched him open his eyes through her long, thick lashes.

"Hm?"

"You might want to make a New Year's resolution," Paige whispered as her fingers danced along his chest.

"And why's that?" Walter blinked.

"Oh, I don't know…," Paige shrugged playfully. "There's going to be some changes…. Scorpion's business is ever-booming, Ralph is going to start high school in the fall, I'm pregnant, Toby and Happy might actually be getting married this time, your sister might finally accept Sylvester's proposal, too. Lots of changes."

Walter reviewed her list carefully in his head. Then it dawned on him. "Wait…. What did you say?"

"Toby and Happy might be getting married this year?" Paige curled a strand of her hair with her finger.

"No. Before that."

"Ralph is going to high school in the fall?"

"After that." Walter gulped. "D-did you say y-you were pr-pregnant?"

A smile found Paige's lips. "Now you're catching on."

Walter blinked. "Pregnant…as in…pregnant-pregnant?"

"Is there any other kind?" Paige laughed and before Walter had time to process his inner feelings about his wife's surprising announcement, Paige kissed him hard on the mouth.

Sleep did not find its way into their room that night.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001:**

I had fun writing this! Let me know your feels!


	3. Twenty Seconds

**WriterFreak001: **

Third requested one-shot. (I think you get the drill)

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**Title** | Twenty Seconds

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Toby and Sly convince Walter to go to a nightclub for his birthday celebration. Sometime after Walter arrives, he doesn't expect to find Paige on stage, singing. How will he respond? Find out! (One-shot requested by foxphile on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for mild sexual themes and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**Twenty Seconds**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Oh, come on, Walt! It'll be fun!" Toby exclaimed as he blocked Walter from escaping his friends' ruse to take him to a nightclub for his birthday celebration. "You need to loosen up a bit."

"No. Thank. You." Walter glanced at Paige's empty desk; if he was going to celebrate his birthday, there was only one person with whom he'd rather celebrate it. However, even if she was available tonight, he would most likely chicken out and keep his invitation to himself. He claimed he had no fears, but the very thought of spending a dinner-for-two alone with Paige frightened him. Valentine's Day was a bust, and because he had noticed the subtle changes in his "feelings" for Paige Dineen since their failed business dinner, he was afraid she didn't feel the same way. He glanced at Sylvester. "Help me out here, pal."

"I do hate night clubs…, but I hear the music is appealing…. So maybe Toby's right. Maybe it will be fun."

Walter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're never going to leave me alone about it, are you."

"Nope!" Toby grinned with satisfaction. "So are you in?"

Walter groaned. "Fine. But I'm not drinking…or dancing…or interacting."

"Good enough for me!" Toby jumped with success and pointed towards the door. "Come on! Let's go before the night crowd gets there!" Toby grabbed Walter's arm and pulled him towards the door as Sylvester followed.

Walter was so going to regret this.

**~ SCORPION ~**

As they arrived at the night club, Walter froze as he observed the scene before him. Couples were dancing in compromising positions to music he quickly found appalling. Some people were seated at the bar, but most of the crowd were dancing in exotic fashion.

"This…was a bad idea." Walter said as he whipped around and headed for the stairs.

"Oh, no. You. Don't. 197!" Toby grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the bar. "We came all the way here; you're not going to bail this time."

"W-Walter's right, Toby…. This is…too much. Too many germs." Sylvester stammered as he dug his hand into his pocket and reached for his hand-held sanitizer. "Perhaps we should leave."

"Not you too, Sly!" Toby frowned and grabbed Sylvester's arm too.

"To be fair," Sylvester said as Toby dragged both the human calculator and the tech genius to the bar, "you paid me ten bucks to convince Walter to come here tonight."

Walter shot a glare at Toby. "I knew this was a set up!"

"Hey, you'll thank me one day!" Toby rose his hands in defense before ordering a round of drinks - water for Walter, of course. "We've been handling a lot of hardass cases lately; I wanted to get hammered so I thought your B-Day celebration would be the perfect excuse to drag you and Sly out of your hobbit holes for one night."

Walter rubbed his eyes. "You're unbelievable."

"I know," Toby smirked and downed the first shot of whiskey as soon as the bartender placed their orders in front of them.

"How old are you?" Walter shook his head in dismay as he sipped his water.

"Old enough to be in here, and that's all what counts tonight." Toby grinned and ordered another shot. "Now if you excuse me, I've got me a date." Toby downed his second shot and abruptly left the bar. Walter and Sylvester gave him a look of disbelief as he wormed his way through a bunch of people to meet Happy in the corner.

"Typical," Walter scoffed. Only Toby would drag them out of the garage and abandon them in this hellish void in order to meet Happy for a date. Walter glanced at Sly who was busy rubbing the bar counter with Clorox wipes. "So…were the ten bucks worth it?"

"I…," Sylvester clammed up, "I'm not comfortable answering that question." He glanced at the exotic zoo before them. "I think I'm going to be sick." In seconds, Sly made a bee-line for the bathroom, leaving Walter to himself.

He closed his eyes and told himself, _It's just one night. One evening of hell. Shouldn't be too hard, should it? _

"Hey there," a woman flipped her hair and sat in the stool next to him. "Waiting for someone?" Walter studied her movements; he remembered the way Paige batted her eyes when she was teaching him flirting markers. The way this woman incessantly fluttered her eyelashes made Walter really uncomfortable; it was borderline frightening. "Waiting for someone?"

Paige suddenly flashed into his mind. "Y-yes," he stammered. He didn't know why he lied to the woman, but he did so now he needed to make up another excuse. "Sh-she's late." In truth, due to her night classes, Paige would be late if she were coming.

"Why don't you buy me a drink while you're waiting?" She was dangerously close.

Walter glared at Toby when he noticed the shrink watching him intently. Toby jumped up from his seat and quickly made his way to Walter. He slid behind the 197 IQ genius and said, "I'm sorry, but my friend here doesn't swing that way, if you know what I mean."

The woman blinked. "Oh. Well…, my bad." In seconds, she scampered off, and Walter was wondering how in the world Toby managed to convince her to leave so quickly.

Walter glanced at Toby. "What just happened here?"

"I don't think you'll have to worry about her anymore," Toby chuckled. "Or any of her gal pals either."

Thank goodness. "And why's that?"

"No reason," Toby quickly answered before scrambling back to Happy. Oh well. Shortly after Toby saved Walter's hide, Sylvester returned. He was green. Walter turned towards the bartender. "Water for him, please. Thank you." He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of air before releasing it slowly. Why he accepted Toby's invitation, he had no idea. He wasn't having fun. Everything felt awkward. He was much better off working on his rocket tonight.

Suddenly, a deep voice bounced off the walls from the music speakers. "And now, ladies and gents, it's time for a slow song. We have a special guest tonight so men, find yourself a special lady and make your way to the dance floor for some lovin'."

Walter turned around and saw couples from all around him making their way to the dance floor. Even Toby and Happy were heading towards the center of the club. Walter turned back around and closed his eyes as he propped his elbows on the counter, clapped his hands together and rested his chin on his thumbs. Some birthday celebration. Just another sore reminder of his pathetic love life.

A softer melody began playing on the speakers, and although Walter didn't recognize it, he found it more aesthetically pleasing than the garbage the DJ was playing beforehand. And then he heard a familiar voice fill the room, singing words that made his ears perk.

"_Turn down the lights…. Turn down the bed…. Turn down these voices inside my head…. Lay down with me, tell me no lies. Just hold me close. Don't patronize. Don't patronize me."_

He spun around and blinked when he saw - Paige? - on the stage, singing into the microphone. She was absolutely stunning; she was wearing a knee-length silver dress that sparkled every time she slowly swayed to the music. He couldn't tear his eyes from her, but her presence at the club baffled him. Wasn't she at school? Or, supposed to be? Why would she be singing at a nightclub of all places? Questions filled his mind as he listened to her mellifluous voice fill the club. She never dared sing so openly at the garage, but sometimes he did catch her humming to herself while she was cooking or filling out paperwork. However, something about her singing on stage sparked something inside of Walter…. He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't look away. And the more she sang, the more he wanted her to never stop. He decided to shut off his brain and simply listen to the words dancing out of her soft, red lips.

"_I'll close my eyes, then I won't see… the love you don't feel when you're holding me… Morning will come, and I'll do just right. Just give me til then to give up this fight._

"_And I will give up this fight…_

"'_Cuz I can't make you love me if you don't. You can't make your heart feel something it won't. Here in the dark in these final hours, I will lay down my heart, and I'll feel the power, but you won't. No, you won't. 'Cuz I can't make you love me… if you don't…."_

Walter didn't realize the song had ended until the crowd started cheering for her. Even he found himself clapping too.

Sylvester leaned close to him. "Did you know Paige sang here? I didn't."

"No…. I didn't." Walter blinked as Paige slowly walked off of the stage. Something compelled him to confront her, but he was frozen in place. She was worming her way through the crowd as some trashy music started playing again. The song that started playing didn't do her piece any justice. Suddenly, he threw his fears out the window and grabbed Sylvester's un-used shot of whisky and downed it in one gulp. Sylvester merely stared at him in shock as he left to find Paige. He found her in a quiet corner of the club; she was on the phone with someone. He eavesdropped and quickly assumed she was talking to Ralph, who was currently in Portland, spending a week with Drew. She kept saying 'sweetie' and 'it's just a few more days' and sentimental messages before ending the call with an 'I love you, Ralph.' As she dropped her phone into her purse, Walter boldly walked up to her from behind and muttered, "Th-that was, um, that was a nice song you, uh, you did up there."

She spun around with wide eyes. "W-Walter?" She blinked. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Toby." Walter swallowed, "He dragged me here."

"Sounds like him," Paige laughed and then said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this…extra activity. It takes some of the stress of work off. I hope you're not mad. I know how you don't like things like this."

"No. I'm not mad," Walter ran his hand through his hair, "Confused, a little, but not mad. I thought you had school tonight."

"I did," Paige nodded. Her fingers were fidgeting with her purse. "It ended early so I came here to take some of the edge off from the case today." She reached out and touched his arm. "Happy Birthday, by the way."

"Th-thanks." Walter gulped. Before Walter said anything more, Sylvester, Happy and Toby made their way to them.

"Miss Dineen, you're ability to surprise me is astounding," Toby took off his hat and bowed. "Truly remarkable performance, milady."

"It was indeed a surprise," Happy noted as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"I found your voice quite calming," Sylvester smiled. "Very well done, Paige."

"Thanks," Paige blushed and curled a strand of her wavy hair behind her ear.

"Anyway, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I'm going to head out and drop this lug off at his apartment," Toby pointed to Sly. "And then reconvene with Happy at her apartment for some naughty things."

"Announce it to the world, next time, why don't ya." Happy elbowed Toby in the ribs, and Sylvester grimaced in response.

As Toby, Happy and Sylvester climbed the stairs to the door, Toby turned around and smirked, "Now, loosen up, Birthday Boy and have some fun. Do everything that I would do tonight."

Toby scrambled up the stairs, leaving an awkward Walter and a quiet Paige to themselves. "So," Walter swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Do you want get out of here?" Paige asked quickly and then added, "More fresh air outside."

Walter nodded and followed Paige up the stairs to the streets. They walked a ways away from the club in silence. Suddenly, Walter said, "You look nice."

"Thanks," Paige smiled. "You do too."

Walter looked down at his attire. "This is what I always wear…."

"I know," Paige laughed. Walter spotted Paige's car in the distance. "I assume Toby was your ride, right?"

"Yeah," Walter nodded slowly as he combed his hand through his hair.

"I'll drop you off at the garage then before going home," Paige muttered as her fingers brushed against the back of his hand. She had no idea what her subtleties did to him.

"Okay," Walter could still taste the bitter alcohol in his mouth. One shot wasn't enough to impair his judgement or his senses, but the thought that he had caved into his split-second temptation irked him.

The drive to the garage was silent for the most part, but every once in a while a conversation would ensue but would quickly die out almost as soon as it had started. Paige pulled up to the garage and parked her car. She pulled her keys out of the ignition and said she'd walk him up to the door. He didn't see the point in arguing with her so they slowly made their way to the front door of the garage. Walter didn't go inside right away. Perhaps it was the alcohol talking; he didn't know, but he wasn't ready for his time with Paige to end quite yet.

Her voice, however, brought him out of his reverie. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Walter." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently.

He glanced at her, but he couldn't read her expression. "Okay."

"Sleep well," she whispered and released his hand before hurrying back to her car. He watched her retreat and as she reached for her the handle of her car door, he found himself telling her to wait. He ran up to her. He didn't know what he was doing, but he decided to shut his brain off for twenty seconds and let things play out by themselves. "What is it, Walter?"

It was now or never.

Walter's palms found her cheeks, and he pulled her in for a searing kiss. Her fingers weaved their way into his curly hair, and she more than complied to his sudden forward behavior. He pulled away gently and pressed his lips together as he stepped away from her. "Okay. You can go now."

He started walking backwards, but she softly spoke his name; he stopped dead in his tracks. She had a strange expression on her face as she slowly approached him. She hooked her arms around his neck and whispered, "Not a chance." She cupped his face and kissed him hard on the mouth. Her tongue found his as she clung to him with fire and determination. Her fingers tantalized his ears. The things she did to him!

She loosened his tie and dropped it beside her car as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He leaned her against the vehicle, giving into his sexual tension as he pushed himself against her. He moaned into her mouth.

She pulled away slightly, panting. "Loft. Now."

"A-are you sure?" Walter stammered, knowing _exactly_ what she was implying.

"One hundred percent yes," Paige mumbled and then kissed him again, rolling her tongue into his mouth. Without another word, his palms found her backside, and he carried her into the garage, kicking the door behind him.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001:**

I had fun writing this! It didn't turn out as I had expected and was a little bit steamier than I had originally planned, but what the hell? There's a lot of sexual tension going on between Walter &amp; Paige on the show. :P


	4. Just Another Social Experiment

**WriterFreak001: **

This was a lot of fun to write! Hee hee

* * *

**Title** | Just Another Social Experiment

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Toby convinces everyone to go to a bar and celebrate their most recent case. Walter goes, but he refuses to drink. What if a certain liaison challenges him to conduct a social experiment by getting wasted to see if a wasted Walter is any different than a sober one. Will Walter take up her challenge? Find out! (One-shot requested by lozilelizabeth on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for mild sexual themes and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Just Another Social Experiment**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Okay, I don't know about you," Toby said in the van as Happy drove everyone back to the garage, "but I seriously need to get hammered after what we went through today."

"No arguments here," Happy replied as she veered right.

"Alcohol makes me puke," Sylvester gulped and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Everything makes you puke, Sly," Toby deadpanned. "So...? Everyone cool with going to a bar tonight? With or without you, I'm still goin'."

"I'm in." Happy called back.

"Sorry, Doc.," Cabe turned towards the team in the back of the van, "I've got Homeland business at HQ tonight. Perhaps another time."

"What about you, Sly?" Toby lightly jabbed his elbow in Sylvester's ribs.

"Do I have to?" Sylvester cringed.

"If you want a ride home tonight, you do." Toby's grin grew ear to ear.

Sly sighed with defeat. "Fine. But I'm not drinking."

"No one said you had to," Toby grinned and then looked at Paige. "How about you, Miss Liaison?"

"Sorry," Paige shrugged. "Can't. I've got a kid to get back to."

"Oh, come on, I'm sure Ralph will be fine with his babysitter for an extra few hours," Toby rolled his eyes. "Besides, you deserve to let loose every once in a while, Miss Dineen."

Paige sighed as Walter caught her glancing at him. "I guess one night of fun won't hurt."

"Now we're talkin'!" Toby reached over the seat behind him and gave Paige a high five. Then he looked at Walter. "So, how about you, Mr. 197?"

Walter wasn't one for bars, but he did think his team deserved some sort of celebration after the hectic (but successful) case they had today. Since Paige was going, he _might _have a more enjoyable time as opposed to attending such a function without her. "Sure. Why not?"

The moment those words fumbled out of his mouth, he knew he was going to regret them, but it was too late to change his mind.

"Don't worry," Paige leaned towards his ear and whispered, "I'll make sure you have a good time."

Walter gulped.

Yep.

He was going to be in _big _trouble.

**~ SCORPION ~**

The plan was simple - or so Walter thought. Since they agreed it would be too suspicious if a bunch of highly functional nerds arrived to a bar in a black van, they decided they would carpool instead. Toby was in charge of taking Sylvester and picking up Happy from her apartment, and Walter was handed the task (by Toby, of course) to pick up Paige. Not a big deal. He's been to her apartment on several occasions (mostly to spend time with Ralph) so, on a logical front, it made sense for Walter to pick her up. He knew the way to the apartment in his sleep.

While everyone else had gone home to change, Walter didn't bother changing; there was no reason for it. Plus, he was comfortable in his semi-business attire. Since Paige's car was a lot more reliable than his heap of junk in the back of the garage, he had dropped Paige off at her apartment shortly after they arrived to the garage and planned to pick her up around seven.

It was 6:15 PM, and he was already parked in her parking garage, wondering if he should wait or go up to her apartment. He chose the latter and quickly made his way up to her apartment door. He knocked, and Ralph answered.

"Hey, buddy."

"Hi, Walter." Ralph smiled. "Mom's not ready yet."

"Ralph?" Paige called from around the corner, "What did I say about answering the door when I'm busy or not h-Oh, Walter," Paige blinked with surprise, "Y-you're early."

He shrugged and came up with an excuse right on the spot. "I thought I'd spend a little bit of time with Ralph before we leave."

"Oh. Okay," Paige smiled. "Come on in, then." As she turned around and swiftly walked towards her bedroom, he couldn't help but watch her as she disappeared around the corner. She was breathtaking. Stunning. Red complimented her beauty flawlessly.

Walter slowly followed Ralph to the couch.

He needed a distraction - any distraction.

Ralph handed him an extra game console as though he could read Walter's mind. "Thanks," Walter ruffled the boy's hair and glanced at the TV. The video game would help him now, but later? Later, he was going to be in a _lot _more trouble than he had originally thought. The deep red dress Paige was wearing was not going to do his fantasies any favors (or, maybe it did..., he wasn't sure).

He spent the next half hour waiting for Paige to finish getting ready and wondered what more she needed to do to make herself presentable - she could go to the bar in sweats, and he would still find her attractive.

There was a knock on the door, and Paige asked Walter to see if the visitor was Ralph's babysitter. Ralph paused the game, and Walter pushed himself off of the couch and made his way to the door. He opened it, and a young woman, much younger than Walter and Paige, stood in the doorway.

Before Walter could speak, Paige squeezed between him and the door and greeted Ralph's babysitter. He could have sworn her hand brushed against his, but he quickly dismissed it. Once Paige gave the sitter instructions, she gave Ralph a quick kiss on the forehead, picked up her purse and then grabbed Walter's hand, pulling him out of her apartment.

Her hand did not release his until they were in the parking garage, making their way to the taxi Paige had called before his arrival. As Paige circled around the cab, Walter eyed the way her red dress swayed about her slender legs, stopping just short of her knees. When she disappeared around the car, he shook himself out of his reverie and opened the back passenger door and slid next to her.

The fact that Paige Dineen's stunning dress was cut lower than what Walter was used to seeing did not go unnoticed by the genius.

Yep.

He was in big, _big _trouble... of quantum proportions.

**~ SCORPION ~**

The ride to the bar was mostly silent because Walter was too focused on trying to keep his sexual desires for the woman in check. He did not need to have an EQ to know what her subtleties did to him.

They met Toby, Happy and Sylvester inside the bar, and Walter barely recognized the female mechanic. He wasn't used to seeing her wearing dresses, and Walter would be blind if he didn't think his friend was attractive. Toby winked at Walter and gestured towards Paige, giving the 197 IQ genius a thumb's up. As Paige sat down at the bar next to Happy, Toby pulled Walter aside and muttered, "Since when do dudes like us get so lucky with chicks like _them_?"

Walter lifted an eyebrow. "I'm n-not sure what the dynamics of your relationship with Happy is, but my relationship with Paige is, uh, st-strictly professional."

"You say that now...," Toby chuckled. "Just you wait, my friend. Just you wait."

As Toby turned towards the bartender and ordered the first round of drinks, Walter walked past Sylvester and Happy and made his way to the empty seat on the other side of Paige.

"This is going to be a nightmare, isn't it?" Walter mumbled toher, and she laughed as she turned towards him.

"It won't be that bad," Paige lightly touched his arm.

Walter glanced at Sylvester who was fumbling with his Rubik's Cube before returning his attention to Paige. "We'll see."

Toby returned with a trey of tall glasses of beer and said, "Drinks are on Homeland's tab. I convinced Cabe to write it down as trauma treatment so... feel free to get hammered tonight, guys."

Toby passed out all of the drinks, handing Sylvester a tall glass of water.

"Oh," Paige glanced at the beer Toby handed Walter, "I think you forgot to order Walter water, Toby."

"No, I didn't." Toby chuckled. "Trust me," Toby glanced at Walter, "Mr. 197′s gonna need it."

Walter sent Toby a glare as the psychoanalyst fist-pumped to the music on his way back to his seat next to Happy. He listened to Paige as she engaged a conversation with Sylvester, but when she asked the human calculator how his relationship with Megan was going, Walter immediately tuned them out. He started analyzing the light refracting off of his beer glass and compared it to way Paige's eyes glimmered like a thousand crystals. He spent a quarter of an hour analyzing different things in the bar and comparing them to some aspect of Paige's aesthetics. Toby and Happy were already on their third round of beer, and he had a feeling they were having a competition to see who could get drunk first. Toby was already tipsy, but Happy seemed as though she was able to hold her liquor.

"Guys," Sylvester smiled, "I think I'm going to take a cab and visit Megan at the hospital. As much _fun _as I'm having, I'm a little out of my comfort zone. Also, I think Megan could use some company."

"Are you sure?" Paige's eyes followed the human calculator as he hopped off of his bar stool.

"Most definitely," Sylvester grinned. "You guys have fun; I want to hear all about your night tomorrow."

Toby flopped his hand in the air. "Bye," he slurred, "Super Fun Sly!" Toby ran up to Sylvester and gave him a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss ya!"

"All right. Okay, Toby." Sylvester squeezed out of Toby's embrace, but the shrink held him tighter. "Okay, Toby. You can let go now."

"You," Toby placed his hands on Sylvester's shoulders, "have a beautiful soul, Sly."

"Right. Okay," Sylvester scratched his head as Toby turned to the bartender and ordered another round for himself, "Seems like you guys have an interesting night ahead of you. Enjoy it."

"Be safe!" Paige called out to him as he left the bar. Before Walter turned his attention to Paige, he saw Happy grab Toby and drag him to a darkened corner of the building. He could only imagine what they were going to be doing back there. "So," Paige leaned her cheek against her fist, "What does Mr. O'Brien have against alcohol?"

He watched her take a rather large sip of her beer.

"Well," Walter swallowed, "it impairs sensory skills and judgement, for starters."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Paige blinked as she took another sip of her beverage.

"It is when you have an IQ of 197 and don't want anything to hinder brain function or cause brain damage." Walter forced a laugh and noticed how dangerously close Paige was to him. To his surprise, she chugged the remaining contents of her beer and then ordered a shot of tequila.

"Even if it was for one night?" Paige asked; her lips curled to a soft smile.

"Yes. Even then." Walter stammered.

"Would you...try it as a social experiment?" Paige's smile grew wider before she downed her shot of tequila the bartender delivered, "Have you," her fingers slowly walked up his leg, "ever been drunk before?"

"No." Walter glanced at her fingers. He started to freeze from her touch. The alcohol in Paige's system was starting to take it's affect; he quickly learned she was quite the lightweight. "I haven't."

"Aren't you the least bit curious to see how alcohol affects you?" Paige asked before requesting two shots this time. "You never know," she leaned towards his ear, "it might just be worth it." She pulled away and downed another shot before sliding the extra one towards him. He was seeing a whole new side of Paige, and her carefree personality was...definitely intriguing.

He glanced at the drink and then found her gaze again. The way she was looking at him was so intense. He did often wonder just how different he would be on a social level if he was in a drunken state, but he often didn't trust himself to carry through with his curiosity. "Well?" Paige's hand rested on his leg. No doubt it was the alcohol talking.

He looked at the drink again and gulped.

He was _definitely _going to regret this.

Without another thought, Walter reached for the shot and downed the tequila.

Paige smiled. "Now, we're talking."

**~ SCORPION ~**

Well into the night, the four members of Scorpion were wasted, and for the first time in his life, Walter was certainly letting loose. Paige slowly convinced him to drink far more than he should have, but having alcohol in his system was an exhilarating experience. Mostly, he and Paige talked with slurred words about stresses in their lives. Paige mentioned the constant invites from Drew about Portland, and Walter confessed some hidden feelings about his sister's medical condition. He also mentioned things about his childhood - things he had never shared with anyone.

Sometime before Walter and Paige left the bar, Toby and Happy had already left, but he really didn't care to where they ran off. He was more focused on the woman sitting next to him. Walter was the first to ask Paige if she wanted to leave, and she nodded in response, hopping off of the stool. She stumbled a little bit as Walter stepped off of his stool; they staggered out of the bar together, and Walter nearly stumbled into a taxi cab as he climbed inside. He laughed at his own idiocy, and when Paige made the same mistake and fell on top of him, he laughed harder. His palm found her cheek, and she leaned into his caress as he wiped the tear from his eye.

"You know," Paige slurred after the cab driver slammed the door behind her, "you need to laugh more often. I love the sound of your laugh."

A rare and genuine smile found Walter's lips. "Do you now?"

Before another word was said, Paige kissed him hard on the mouth; her tongue quickly found his. Their first kiss was wet, super messy and was interrupted by the cab driver, inquiring where to take them. Paige quickly told him to just drive around the damn city for a while before capturing Walter's lips into another heated kiss.

The driver drove them around LA for thirty minutes before Paige tore away from Walter and gave the cabbie her address.

**~ SCORPION ~**

After stumbling out of the cab, Walter and Paige slowly made it to the floor of her apartment, but the young mother wasn't ready to release Walter of her grasp quite yet. She pulled him to a darkened hallway and covered his face with kisses. Walter pinned her against the wall as her legs coiled around his waist. Her fingers were constantly moving from his face to his back to his shoulders, his ears and his hair while his palms firmly held her face. He pushed up against her, and she moaned into his mouth as her legs squeezed his hips tighter.

When his hands found her breasts and gently pushed them against her arching body, Paige tore her lips away from him and panted as she uncoiled her legs from around his waist. "I know we're wasted," she slurred, "but this is... this is a little too fast."

Walter ran his hand through his hair and nodded in agreement before leaning his forehead against Paige's. They were both still heavily panting. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she pressed her fingers to his lips. "Probably not a good idea. Ralph, remember?" She removed her fingers and smiled. "See? Getting drunk," she hiccuped, "isn't always a bad thing." She glanced around the corner towards her apartment and then turned her attention back on him. "I'll see you tomorrow," Paige poked him in the nose. As she started to turn the corner, she stopped, hooked her arms around his neck and gave him a sly grin. "You know," she laughed as she played with his ears, "I had a lot of fun tonight. While kissing a wasted Walter is lots and lots and lots of fun, I can only imagine how much fun I'd have with a sober Walter... especially since," she leaned towards his ear and whispered, "I love making you squirm."

Even when drunk, Walter froze as Paige nibbled on his earlobe. She slowly brought her lips back to his for one last searing kiss, and before Walter knew it, she was stumbling back to her apartment. He watched her from a distance. He found the way she fumbled with her keys intriguing, and as she pushed her door open, she flashed him a smile.

Walter hid within the corridor as the babysitter left and eventually came to the conclusion that he was stuck. Paige had taken her keys back, and he wasn't in the mood to call a cab again. He sauntered down to the parking garage and pulled out his phone. He called Cabe.

Cabe showed up a quarter after midnight, and Walter slowly climbed into the squad car.

"So you got wasted, huh?" Cabe lifted an eyebrow as Walter struggled to put on his seat belt.

"Yeah."

"I can see that it was well worth it, though." Cabe smirked as he slapped Walter's hands away and buckled the genius into his seat.

"Yep." Walter slurred as Paige crossed his mind. "Well worth it." Then he turned to Cabe. "Wait... How can you tell?"

"Your face is smothered with bright red lipstick, kid." Cabe laughed as he pulled out of the parking garage.

Walter laughed, not really registering what the agent had said. "Lipstick - that's a funny word."

"I think I'm going to take the long way back to the garage." Cabe chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Sounds fun." Walter chuckled. "Why, though?"

"Because I have a good feeling that Wasted Walter's not gonna make another appearance for a very, very long time. I think I want to enjoy it a little while longer." Cabe smirked.

"Hey Cabe?" Walter incessantly poked Cabe's shoulder. "Cabe? Cabe? Cabe?"

"What is it, 197?" Cabe blinked.

"Can I drive?"

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Hee hee… So…. How do you think I did for a drunk Walter?


	5. The Great and Powerful 197 - Or Not!

**WriterFreak001: **

I don't know about this one, man. Just fluff, I guess.

* * *

**Title** | The Great and Powerful 197 – Or not!

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Walter's reactions when Paige is in labor with their first child. (One-shot requested by rosifabulus on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for brain stuff and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**The Great and Powerful 197 – Or Not!**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Walter was frantic. His paced about the room as his wife calmly rested in the hospital bed while they waited for the OB/GYN to arrive.

Paige's water had broken they were at a restaurant celebrating another case, and everybody - except for Cabe and Toby - were in full panic. Sylvester's face turned green and ran to the bathroom, Happy scrambled to the van and Walter froze in his seat. As Cabe helped Paige into the van, Toby grabbed the nearest glass of water and splashed it into Walter's face. The shrink managed to send Walter to the van and said he would wait for Sly before heading for the hospital. As Happy drove like a madwoman through the streets of LA, Cabe was in charge of making sure Walter didn't freeze again as the genius held his wife's hand. She had one hell of a grip, too. When Happy pulled up to the hospital, Cabe and Walter immediately helped Paige out of the van. Cabe hollered for assistance and told the nurse Paige was in labor. Walter could barely speak let alone function properly.

And now that they were in the delivery room, Walter really didn't know what to do with himself.

"Walter, you need to stop pacing. You're going to wear a hole into the floor," Paige before gasping from another contraction.

Walter ran to the door and looked down the hallway. Just where the hell was the doctor?! When he heard his wife's loud groan, he scrambled back to her. "Why are they not here yet?! Why are they just letting you sit here in pain?!"

"Walter," Paige forced a laugh, "I'm not dilated enough. The baby just can't pop out on its own, you know."

"M-maybe I should get Toby. He's a doctor. Kind of. Yeah. He'd be able t—"

"Don't you dare!" Paige snapped and grabbed his tie to keep him from leaving. "There is no way in hell I'm going to let Toby even near my cervix!" She suddenly cringed from another contraction; based on her reaction, he could tell it was much stronger than the last one. She released his tie and squeezed the life out of his hand. "Now where's that DAMN doctor!?"

Walter was starting to lose feeling in his hand when Paige's doctor walked into the room. "Okay. Let's take a look, shall we?" Paige squeezed Walter's hand tighter from another contraction. "Almost there," the OB/GYN smiled. "A couple more centimeters before moving onto the next stage of the delivery."

"N-next stage?" Walter gulped.

The OB/GYN laughed. "Once your wife is fully dilated, she'll move on to the pushing stage."

Walter's eyes widened, and he started listing the elements of the periodic table. "Hydrogen. Helium. Lithium. Beryllium. Boron. Carbon. Nitrogen. Oxygen. Fluorine. Neon. Sodium. Magnesium. Aluminum. Silicon. Phosphorus. Sulfur. Chlorine. Argon…"

"Don't mind him," Paige lightly chuckled before she felt another contraction. Walter heard his wife groaning again and snapped back to reality. She shot a glare at him. "He's new at this."

The OB/GYN smiled. "Don't worry; I think I've seen and heard it all now."

Walter blinked as Paige finally released his hand. He felt blood pulsing back into his white fingers. Paige exhaled another groan, much louder than the last one.

Walter started to freak out again. He didn't like seeing nor hearing Paige in pain. "Can't you just," he looked at the OB/GYN, "pull the baby out instead?!" He started pacing and running his hands through his hair. He didn't even hear the OB/GYN's response. Paige had said something to him, but he couldn't process it. He started babbling to himself. He recited various scientific laws, principles, mathematical functions, algorithmic codes and the decimal arrangement of Pi. Paige's voice was getting louder; she was calling his name, telling him to get his ass over to her so she could hold his goddamn hand, but he continued circling the room like an idiot. He didn't even realize the next stage had already begun.

And then he saw a small, bloody head surfacing from his wife's - "Oh God,"

He fainted.

**~ SCORPION~**

When Walter came to, he was slumped against a chair. He found his friends talking to his wife - who was holding a bundle of blankets in her arms. He shook his head and slowly rose to his feet.

"Look out, ladies and gentlemen," Toby grinned at Walter, "Mr. 197 has finally resurrected."

All eyes turned to Walter.

"About damn time you woke up, Sleeping Beauty," Cabe laughed and patted Walter's shoulder. The 197 IQ genius received very similar comments from the rest of the team as he made his way to his wife.

Happy simply gave him a pat on the shoulder and said "Nice one."

"I can't believe you fainted!" Toby howled with laughter. "I would expect something like that from Sly, but not the Great and Powerful 197! I think I'm going to start calling you Squeam Boy - or shall I call you The Squeam?"

Walter forced a smile and leaned towards Toby's ear. "You call me either of those names or anything related to what happened today, I will personally see to it that your assets are frozen effectively and immediately for the rest of your existence."

Toby gulped. "Noted."

Cabe convinced the team to leave the new family alone, and Ralph - whom Walter only just noticed sitting in the corner of the room - followed. Walter finally met his wife's eyes.

"So…," Walter pressed his lips together, "I'm guessing I missed the exciting part, huh?"

Paige only rolled her eyes as she peeled back a blanket and revealed a small infant bundled in her arms. "Meet your daughter, Walter. Aoibheann O'Brien" Walter sat down in the chair next to Paige's hospital bed and leaned towards the infant. He was afraid to touch her; she looked small and fragile. "She won't bite, you know." Paige laughed. He slowly placed his palm on top of the baby's small head; her hair was incredibly soft. He glanced at Paige. The curve of her smile was immeasurable. "You want to hold her?" Walter's eyes popped wide open. Paige only laughed. "Too soon?"

"You know me," Walter forced a chuckle, "I'm not very good with my hands."

"Oh, I disagree," Paige smirked. She leaned close to him and muttered a long list of sexually explicit things she thought he did perfectly well with his hands. She then pulled him in for a short, chaste kiss. "Walter?"

"Yeah?" Walter glanced at his wife before returning his attention to the small infant sleeping in Paige's arms. He was fascinated with the baby's physical features; he could already tell, based on bone structure, that Aoibheann was going to share most of her features with Paige. Walter had no complaints either.

Paige brought him out of his reverie with her laugh. "I love how you seem to have no problem whatsoever when working a case, but when your wife is in labor and delivery, all it takes is one look and you faint." She laughed and ran one of her hands through his unruly curls.

Walter caught her looking at him. "You're never going to let me forget it, are you?"

"Nope. Not a chance." Paige laughed and pulled him in for a heated kiss.

**~ SCORPION ~**

_**Aoibheann ("eve" + "een") - meaning: "radiant beauty" [IRISH]**_

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001:**

All right, I've never been great at writing labor &amp; delivery scenes, but I hope this one works! Let me know what you think.


	6. Reversed Situation

**WriterFreak001: **

I don't know about this one… but whatever. LOL.

* * *

**Title** | Reversed Situation

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | What if Christoph didn't trade Paige with Walter and forced her onto the lifeboat instead? (requested by leighann1975 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for feels and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reversed Situation**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Walter froze when he heard Paige begging one of Christoph's men to let her go. She had gun pointed at her as Christoph's henchman pulled her towards the lifeboat. "Please, no," she begged as she was yanked towards Christoph and the rest of his men.

"Come on," the man spat as another man ordered everyone to get on the lifeboat.

"Get her in the raft. Come on!" Christoph exclaimed towards her captor with his gun still pointing at Cabe and Walter. "We've got to move fast."

"No," Paige wavered. "Please, please." She tried to keep herself from being taken by grabbing the side of the boat. She fell to her knees before her captor jerked her onto her feet.

"Hold on, hold on!" Walter exclaimed, causing Paige's abductor and the other members of the group to focus on him. He caught her eyes and wanted to tell her everything will be all right. "You want to guarantee they don't blow you out of the water? Take me."

"Why is that?" Christoph asked.

Walter inhaled a deep breath and then answered, "I'm a high-value government asset." He glanced at Christoph. "You take me, you'll have a fighting chance." There was no way in hell he was going to let them take her. Not without a fight. His voice softened. "Let her go."

Christoph laughed before punching Walter into the gut. "I don't think so." He turned towards his crew as Walter coughed from the impact. "Get her on quickly. I want to be out of here in two minutes tops."

The man who started the heist pointed a gun to Paige's head and quietly ordered her to get on the boat. She didn't move. Once Walter recovered from the blow to his stomach, Christoph clicked his gun and aimed it towards Walter. "Get on the boat, or I'll blow his brains out."

"Paige. Don't." Walter wanted to tell her not to worry, but he didn't know how. He slowly shook his head, ordering her to stay put.

"Going once!" Christoph pressed the barrel of the gun against Walter's temple. "Going twice!"

"Okay! Okay!" Paige caved and started to climb into the boat. She began to tremble with fear.

"Wait," Christoph ordered; Paige froze. "Your shoes. Take them off." Paige's fingers shook as she popped off her high heels and slowly climbed into the boat. Christoph climbed in after her and grabbed her by wrapping his arm firmly around her middle. "You try _anything_," Christoph looked at Walter and Cabe, she's dead."

Walter could hear Paige's voice stammer as she begged Christoph to spare her.

"Any bright ideas, 197?" Cabe muttered as the lifeboat was lowered towards the water surface.

"One," Walter muttered as he dove for one of Paige's shoes and whacked its heel into the one gooney who was still on the cruise, lowering the boat to the sea. Cabe immediately seized the guy's gun before he fell backwards. "Yep. Well. That's all I've got."

Before Cabe could answer, they heard a loud "BONESTEEEEEEL!" echo from above them, and in seconds, the lifeboat's supports had been snapped off of the davit, and everyone was hurled into the water. "Dammit," Walter muttered as he took off his shoes and socks. "Call Happy," Walter ordered Cabe, "and have her direct you on how to turn off the propeller." Without another word, Walter dove into the water in search of Paige and Sylvester. He grabbed hold of the lifeboat so he wouldn't get sucked towards the propeller. "Paige! Sylvester!" Walter called out to them several times. Two of Christoph's men had been pulled under. "Oh God," he muttered when he saw blood flowing out from underneath the cruise.

"Walter! I can't swim!" Sylvester panicked as he surfaced. "The propeller! It's pulling me in!"

"Hang on Sylvester!" Walter clenched the side of the lifeboat and reached out to his best friend. He grabbed hold of Sly's hand and pulled him towards the lifeboat. "Hang onto the side of the boat as tight as you can; I've gotta find Paige." Walter frantically scanned the waters, hoping Paige would surface.

"Walter!" He heard her cry out his name from a distance. She had been thrown the furthest from the boat due to her lighter weight. She started swimming towards him when Christoph surfaced behind her and pushed down into the water. Walter heard the propeller shut off and told Sylvester to continue holding onto the side of the lifeboat. Without another word, Walter pushed away from the lifeboat and swam as fast as he could towards Christoph. Instead of trying to fight him from the surface, he decided the element of surprise would be his best maneuver so he swam underneath the surface of the water towards Paige. She was struggling to get free. When Walter reached her, he punched Christoph's gut and quickly sent Paige upward for air. He followed after her, and the moment he surfaced, he slugged Christoph in the temple, rendering him unconscious.

As he turned to ask Paige if she was all right, she caught him by surprise by wrapping her arms around him, saying 'thank you' over and over again. He froze from her sudden contact.

"Walter!" Cabe called from the cruise, capturing both Walter's and Paige's attentions. He tossed them a rope and after Walter grabbed Christoph's collar, Cabe pulled them in.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"Quite the day, huh?" Paige asked as she gathered Ralph's backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

"Yeah," Walter gave her a light chuckle and picked up a sleeping Ralph, following the young mother to her car.

"So," Paige leaned against her car after Walter placed Ralph inside the car, strapped him in and closed the door. "Are we still having that business dinner tomorrow night?"

"After a day like today," Walter scratched the side of his face, "you deserve the weekend off. Spend your Saturday night with Ralph."

"Are you sure?"

Walter nodded. "I don't want to take up your Saturday. Ralph needs you more than I do tomorrow night."

"Okay," Paige was slightly disappointed, but she hid her disappointment and flashed Walter an understandings smile.

"Take care," Walter sent her a half-smile as she opened her car door.

"Walter?" Paige called out to him before she climbed into her car.

"Yeah?"

Without warning, she closed her door, pushed him against the car and pressed her soft lips against his. Walter blinked and froze as she kissed him, and when she pulled away, she winked and muttered, "That was for saving me today."

Once she was in her car, she pulled down her window and added, "Ralph and I will come to the garage tomorrow evening. It's already decided so don't even try to change my mind."

"Okay." Walter swallowed the lump in his throat as Paige waved goodnight and pulled away from the garage.

Walter stood like a fool for minutes with his fingertips pressed against his lips; when he finally returned to reality, he shook away his shock and pretended the kiss didn't happen. As he walked inside, he hoped no one saw him lose his resolve under Paige's touch.

He looked towards the loft.

It was going to be another long night for Walter O'Brien.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Well?


	7. Romantic Staycation

**WriterFreak001: **

We'll see how this one goes.

* * *

**Title** | Romantic Staycation

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Walter &amp; Paige &amp; their first time… (SEMI GRAPHIC) (requested by idkimdone on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for fluff &amp; romantic themes.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Romantic Staycation**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

It's been two years since Walter hired Paige for Scorpion, and four months since the genius and the translator started dating. Their first date was very awkward for Walter, but hearing Paige's laugh and seeing her smile told him he was doing _something _right despite how uncomfortable he was about the fancy dinner and the strange feelings he had swimming around in the pit of his stomach. Cabe had called them butterflies – a symptom of anxiety (something Walter only felt whenever he was around Paige). While the last four months slowly became easier between him and Paige, it was still hard to hide their relationship from Toby, Happy, Sylvester and Ralph. They had no intention of telling _anybody _about their romantic entanglement, but Cabe found out about it by accident when he walked in on them making out in the loft a few months ago. Everyone else simply thought Paige went up there to ask Walter a question about one of their casefiles, but oh, they were greatly mistaken.

Walter knew Toby had his suspicions, but every time the shrink brought something up about the "increased" time Walter spent with Paige, Walter would simply regard it as work-related and left it at that. Eventually, they planned on telling the rest of the team about their romantic relationship, but for now, they wanted to enjoy their privacy for a little while longer.

"So…," Paige slowly walked up to Walter and hooked her arms around his neck before pulling him in for a light, quick kiss. "Now that we have the whole garage to ourselves for the next three days," she loosened his tie and slid it out from underneath his collar, "I think it's time we head for the loft and get started on that nice staycation we've been planning for the past few weeks."

Walter blinked. "N-now?"

Paige laughed and lightly smacked him in the chest. "Of course, silly."

"I d-didn't think we, uh, we decided on a date…." Walter nervously laughed as he scratched the side of his face. "er… time… er whatever."

"We didn't," Paige smirked and kissed him again. "But… unless there's an emergency, Cabe has given everyone the next three days off for our hard work the past several weeks…, Ralph is in Portland for the week, and everybody else thinks I'm off to some spa resort for the weekend. I don't think we're going to get another perfect opportunity for us to be _completely _alone for three entire days."

"Why does everyone think you're at some spa resort? What purpose does that lie serve?" Walter's face contorted, causing his girlfriend to laugh even more.

"So I have an alibi when I'm not answering my phone," Paige said before she slowly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

"And why, um, won't you be answering your phone?" Walter gulped as he eyeballed her slender fingers working at his buttons. The glossy look Paige gave him sent shivers down his spine. His ears burned too.

"You have an IQ of 197, Walter," Paige placed a kiss against his collarbone, "you tell me." She drew his shirt open the moment she freed the last button and slid her fingers underneath the thin material, slowly pushing it off of his shoulders. Walter felt those damn butterflies again as the pads of her fingers slithered down his arms; he gulped as the shirt fell to the floor.

"D-due to an i-increase in your serotonin levels, I s-suspec—"

"Don't talk," Paige cut him off and pulled him in for a hungry kiss.

Her fingers weaved into his hair as she kissed him hard on the mouth, and Walter slowly teetered backwards until he hit the couch. Bad move. Or not. He wasn't sure. She pushed him backwards, and he stumbled onto the sofa; before he knew it, she was straddling his hips and slowly pressing hot kisses down his neck. _That _he _did _enjoy. He really didn't know what he was doing, but he found himself snaking one arm around her middle and slipping his other hand underneath the lip of her blouse. A sense of pride washed over him when he heard a small gasp vibrate against the base of his neck as his fingers crawled up her back. As Paige slowly began to rock against him, she withdrew her lips his neck and wrapped her fingers around the hem of her shirt before peeling it off. She dropped it behind the couch as she captured him into another searing, wet kiss.

She tantalized him with her tongue as she kissed him, making him only crave more of what she was _clearly _offering. As she tightened her grip around his hips, he placed one hand firmly on her bottom and pushed off of the couch; she hooked her legs around him in response, and his plan was to carry her up the stairs to the loft, but he didn't account for slipping on his forgotten tie and falling flat on his butt with Paige still in his arms. Her extra weight forced him backwards after the impact, and both of them couldn't help but laugh.

Before any word was said, Paige grabbed Walter's cheeks and hungrily kissed him. His jeans were the next to go; she danced her fingers across his chest and down his abdomen before freeing the button of his jeans and pushing the denim material down to his ankles with her foot; after shoving them off of him, she stripped off her own jeans and carelessly kicked them behind her.

They sat up, and she wrapped her legs around him again as he felt for the clasp of her bra and detached it. She pushed harder against his pelvis as she clawed at his back, quietly whimpering and begging him to take her upstairs before she loses her sanity (among other things). Testing a theory, Walter dipped his hand underneath the back rim of her black lacy underwear and pressed his palm firmly against her backside; another pleading moan reverberated into his ears; while he certainly loved the sound of her voice, the sound she made _for _him was much more aesthetically pleasing. He rubbed small circles over her flesh, and she bucked him harder. Walter inwardly smiled with pride; _he _had made her make those sounds. The best part? Only he would ever hear them. The third time Paige begged him to take them upstairs brought him out of his thoughts. With Paige clinging onto him, he scrambled to his feet and bolted up the stairs; her bra fell somewhere along the steps and was left forgotten along with the rest of their scattered clothing.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"So," Paige muttered as she pushed her belly against Walter's and planted a kiss against his chest, "Are you glad I stayed?"

"Oh, most definitely," Walter's lips curled to a playful smirk. "If we are to continue hiding our now-_sexual _relationship from the rest of the team, we're going to have to create a schedule where our sexual activities do not interfere with our work responsibilities as well as do not arouse suspicion among the team members – especially Toby. And once we've chosen particular nights during the week to schedule in our sexual endeavors, we can come up with believable cover stories to keep everyone in the dark in regards to our entanglement."

"Walter," Paige laughed and ran her fingers through his unruly hair, "sex isn't something we can just pencil in whenever it is convenient; that takes the romance out of it."

Walter raised an eyebrow. "As I recall, you conveniently told everyone you were going to a spa resort when you were actually planning on spending the next three days here…. How is that not the same as scheduling sex in advanced?"

"Because," she lightly smacked his chest, "all I did was plant some seeds in the off chance that we would take our relationship to the next level tonight. When I knew Ralph was going to be in Portland for an entire week, I couldn't pass this opportunity up to spend an _entire _week of nights with you."

Walter blinked. "What do you mean by… planting seeds?"

"Well," Paige pressed her lips together and playfully shrugged, "I _might _have suggested to Cabe the other day that the team needed a day or so off for our hard work these past several months; I didn't know he was going to give us a full three-day weekend, but I'll take what I can get."

"You said seeds…. What else did you do?"

Paige grinned. "I might have asked Ralph, over the phone, to hack into the spa resort I told people I was going to so that my alibi would check itself out if a certain, curious shrink ever fact-checked my weekend plans."

"That's actually pretty smart." Walter was certainly impressed.

"I know, right?" Paige laughed and pecked his lips.

"So Paige Dineen has a dark side…," Walter mused, causing Paige to smirk, "Good to know, but," he rested his palms on her bare shoulders, "you still haven't answered my question."

"Which one would that be?"

"How is what _you _did any different than scheduling pre-planned sex into our routines?" Walter repeated himself even though he knew Paige was only pretending to play dumb. Her tone was playful and she had batted her eyes – she only did that when she was trying to be funny or playing games with him. Over the last four months (as well as since the time he had met her), he had secretly memorized all of the tones of her voice and her nuances; they were what made Paige, Paige, and now that they were intimate, he knew everything there was to know about her. (He secretly felt privileged and honored to have such a role in Paige's life).

"Simple," she smiled, "what I was doing was manipulative preparation; I had no idea where you and I would be at this precise moment in time. I only pulled a few strings to nudge our relationship into this direction. Make sense?"

Walter took a minute to mull it over, but it still didn't seem all too different from preplanned sex. "No. Not really, but I'll take your word for it."

"Good idea," Paige playfully smacked his cheek before pressing her lips against his. With her fingers still weaving through his curly locks, she pushed herself against him and brought her lips to his ear, telling him everything she wanted him to do to her for the next three days; the list was quite the turn-on. And then she added, "I hope you're used to three-day-benders because after tonight, you _won't _want to fall asleep again."

Walter audibly gulped as she rocked her hips against him even harder.

And before he could say something, she sealed her promise with a hot, wet, messy kiss.

God, he was in trouble.

**~ SCORPION ~**

The next two days definitely did not go as Walter had planned, but he had no regrets. For the exception of dietary and anatomical needs, he and Paige hardly left the bed – hell, they never even put their clothes back on. If they needed to go down to the lower level of the garage, Walter would put on a bathrobe, and Paige would wear his bedsheets around her body; a few times she purposely let the sheets fall off of her, silently daring Walter to make love to her in various areas of the office – the couch…, the kitchen…, the dark corners of the garage…, his desk…, her desk…; the list was endless. Paige's sexual endurance greatly surprised him, and there was hardly a single hour where they weren't together in some sort of sexual way. He could definitely get used to this – especially sex in the shower. The things he did with Paige made his previous sexual experiences seem like nothing. Every kiss…, touch…, lick… was a different sensation, and not always were they synonymous in their category. Some left burning sensations; others were sweet and tender. And sometimes, from one touch alone, his body would shudder against hers.

For once in his life, he had found a passion equal to his love for math and science, and it was going to be severely difficult for him to figure out a balance, but he decided to mull that issue over when their three days were finished. For now, he was just going to enjoy everything Paige had to offer him.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"I know Cabe gave us three days off, but I forgot my hat, Happy." Toby said as he climbed out of his Monte Carlo. Happy followed.

"If you forgot your hat, then why didn't you pick it up the first time you realized you left it?" Happy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "It seems like a waste of a trip to come up here today when we have to come back to work tomorrow anyway. Just get it then."

"I _did _want to come back here to pick it up Friday night; however, _someone _told me that if I left her bedroom, I was dead, remember?" Toby matched Happy's stance and tsked. "We're already here so we might as well go in. Once I've got my hat, we can sneak back out, head over to my place and get hammered."

"Your definition of hammered, or _my _definition of hammered?" A mischievous smirk formed on Happy's lips.

Toby shrugged, "Both?"

"Okay. You're on." Happy tapped Toby's shoulder and then opened the door to the garage. Toby followed, eying the way his girlfriend / ex-fiancée (Toby lost count how many times Happy called off the engagement in the last year, but he still had faith she would eventually come around) swayed her hips as she walked. She stopped dead in her tracks.

Toby lifted an eyebrow. "Why'd you stop?"

Happy pointed towards the scattered clothes about the garage. Toby grinned from ear to ear. "Oooh, this is gonna be good!"

"Perhaps we should come back later…." Happy started backing towards the door.

"And miss a perfect opportunity like this for some serious blackmail snapshots?" Toby blinked. "I don't think so." Toby scanned the room and noticed a black, lacy bra dangling halfway up the steps.

"Paige is going to be soooo pissed when she finds out about this." Happy muttered as Toby continued to investigate.

"Well… since Paige's purse is still here, and _this_," he walked over to the couch and picked up Paige's blouse, "was what she was clearly wearing two days ago, I'm pretty sure she's quite the opposite – unless Walt's a bad sex partner."

Happy grimaced. "T.M.I."

"Whelp. There's only one way to find out!" Toby skipped gleefully towards the stairs and quietly pranced towards the loft. Happy followed only to try to talk him out of doing something insanely stupid. They didn't have to walk far into the apartment to hear _exactly _what Toby was hoping to hear and what Happy never wanted to hear again. To spare her brain from further scarring, she went back down to the lower level of the garage and told Toby he was on his own. Toby crept closer, close enough to examine the _sounds _he was hearing but far enough away to prevent visual scarring. He pulled out his phone and pressed the audio record button – proof that Mr. 197 had a lot more EQ than he was letting on.

There was moaning and a lot of sighing and tons of exclamations.

He dared to peek through the bookcase, spotting Walter and Scorpion's liaison buck naked and sitting upright with their limbs entangled around each other. He quickly looked away; he had definitely seen enough, and as he was about to stop the recording and upload it to his cloud, he froze when he heard Paige tell Walter how much she loved him.

Curiosity bested the shrink so he waited, wondering what Walt's response would be. The Walter he knew would deny the entire existence of love so it would be interesting to hear what he had to say. Toby covered his mouth to conceal his heavy breathing as he tuned his ears onto the room. Between more moans and outcries, Walter finally told her he was in love with her too.

A soft smile found Toby's lips as he crept away from the bookcase. As he stopped the recording, he stumbled on a damn rug and crashed to the floor; his phone slid across the floor, and he froze when he heard Walter and Paige's voices, wondering what that _noise _was.

Crap!

He heard the bed creak and a pair of footsteps approach the corner. He quickly scrambled to his feet and bolted out of the loft, aborting his mission. He stumbled down the stairs and motioned for Happy to get the hell out of the garage; she disappeared in seconds as he grabbed his hat and bolted for the door.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I had a lot of fun writing this one. =]

Thoughts?


	8. Not all Black and White

**WriterFreak001: **

This is actually not a request, but since it is a short piece, I am including it in the chronicles. :)

* * *

**Title** | Not all Black and White

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Walter, Toby and Ships. (That's all you're getting).

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Not all Black and White**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One Shot **

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"What...are you doing?" Walter asked Toby as the shrink walked in with a plastic kids' pool and placed it on top of the table in the center of the garage.

"It's an experiment." Toby deadpanned before running out of the garage only to bring in two large buckets of water. "Call it a... probability experiment."

Walter's ears perked. "Probability experiment? What kind?"

"Well," Toby paused and heaved one of the buckets over the lip of the pool, dumping the water inside. "As it seems, you and I are sore losers in the romantic department. Sly - for reasons unknown to man - has a more successful love life than you and me..., and I don't know about you, but those odds are... well, they're depressing."

Walter looked around the garage in search of Paige, hoping she wasn't near. "So..., what does... all of _this _have to do with our relationship status?"

"Simple," Toby replied as he dumped the second bucket of water into the pool. Then, he dashed over to his desk, picked up what looked like two sailboats and raced back over to the pool of water. "With these sailboats, we're going to predict the success-fail rate of our romantic endeavors; one boat's flag as been labeled 'W' for Waige..." Toby handed Walter a sailboat.

"Waige?"

"Waige." Toby repeated himself. "Walter and Paige."

"Why combine the names?"

"Dunno. People do that for some reason..." Toby shrugged.

"I'll never understand normals." Walter scratched his head as Toby rose the other boat.

"And _this_," Toby beamed with pride, "lovely 'Q' stands for Quintis."

"Why Quintis?"

"Hatoby, Tappy and Hoby sound like names of dwarfs." Toby deadpanned. "Anyway, you and I are going to settle this once and for all; whichever ship - get it? ship? Of...course not - anyway, whichever ship wins the race will determine which one of us lucky bastards gets to make a move on our lady friends first."

"I still don't see why we need the ships... or why we're even competing..." Walter blinked with confusion. "What does all of this have to do with what we choose to do with our romantic entanglements?"

"Well... since Sly has already scored some points in the Love Department -"

"Love doesn't exist."

"You don't exist." Toby pointed at Walter and squinted. "Now shut up, you Emotional Dumpster Fire, and let me talk." Toby crossed his arms. "As I was saying, Sly has already one-upped us. Since both of us aren't having any luck with our... love interests, I think it's only fair we use math and science to determine our fate for us. Hence the experiment. If the Waige ship wins, you, my dear, dear dumpster, will have to waltz your way up to Paige and tell her how you feel _regardless _of Drew's recent appearance. That, and I'll owe you fifty bucks. If the Quintis ship wins, I risk my neck going up to Happy and ask her to forgive me for the billionth time... and... you'll owe me a hundred bucks."

"Why a hundred if you'll only give me fifty?"

"I'm going to need some life insurance, dude." Toby shuddered as he looked towards Happy who was slamming her hammer against a thick sheet of steel.

"Ah. So what'll I do if you win other than lose money?" Walter was still not understanding the concept of this experiment. It didn't really make sense to go up against Toby; Happy and Paige were _very _different individuals so why bother competing?

"Uh..." Toby scratched his head, "I hadn't thought that far yet..."

"So basically this whole idea is pointless then..." Walter crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "It would be one thing if you and I were after the same thing, but we're not; therefore, a competition against...boats... is a waste of time." He forced a smile.

"Wanna bet?" Toby lifted an eyebrow.

Walter _was _a bit curious. "Fine. Let's bet." Toby took the boats and placed them in the pool. "They're solar powered so once I turn on this lamp," he switched on a high-voltage lamp, "they should move." The Quintis ship started moving, but the Waige ship was just floating around. "Like I said," Walter frowned. "Waste of time."

Toby sighed and slapped his head. He turned off the lamp and took out the boats. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"Boats can't predict the future." Walter tried to hide his disappointment.

"True..., then again..." Toby smirked. "I don't even know why the hell I even came up with this experiment. I've already one-upped you now that I think about it."

Walter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well... unlike you, 197, I've actually held Happy's hand, and she planted one one me," Toby pointed to his lips, "a few weeks ago."

Walter frowned. "Paige and I...held hands...once..." He remembered the day of the forest fire.

"Were your fingers laced together?"

"No."

"Doesn't count then." Toby's smirk grew wider.

"Who says?"

"I say." Toby blinked. "Have you kissed her?"

"No," Walter pressed his lips together. His eyes lit up. "But she _did _hug me... after I almost died from snake venom."

"Doesn't count." Toby deadpanned.

Walter frowned. "Why not?"

"You were dying; she hugged you out of sympathy and worry. There was an extreme cause that called for a desperate measure so it doesn't count. Romance shouldn't spark from near-death experiences; it should blossom from spontaneity. Hugs and kisses should happen for no apparent reason other than impulse and pure desire. That's how I see it, anyway."

"Well, maybe your philosophy is wrong." Walter was still frowning. Sure, his romantic advances were not... advanced like Toby's, but that didn't mean there wasn't something there...

"Or maybe you need to grow a pair and grab your woman before Drew takes her for good. You don't know what happened after you left her apartment the other night - for all you know, Drew was there to see Ralph and only Ralph. By the way I've seen our liaison look at you since then, I can tell her relationship with Drew - as of right now - has not changed so you, my friend, still have a golden window of opportunity." Toby pointed towards the woman descending the loft. "And if I were you," Toby glanced at Walter, "I would make a move fast..."

"And what about the boats?" Walter raised an eyebrow.

"Forget about the boats," Toby snapped. "The whole point of bringing all of this crap up here was to show you that even though you see failure," Toby pointed to the Waige boat, "it's not always black and white." Toby turned the Waige boat over and showed Walter that the solar panel was purposely wired incorrectly. "Not everything is what meets the eye, Walt, so... just because you saw Drew at Paige's apartment the other night, it doesn't mean anything happened."

Walter looked at the boat and then at Toby. And then he looked at Paige who smiled at him as she walked to her desk. He stood still for seconds and then bolted over to Paige's desk without a word. He asked her if he could speak with her in confidence so they went up to the loft. When they got up there, he froze. He didn't actually think about what he was going to say once he confronted her.

"What is it, Walter?" Paige waited patiently as she took a seat on the couch. He sat next to her and scratched the side of his face.

"Uh...," then he remembered about what Toby said about risks, and a thought crossed his mind as to how he could tell her what he was feeling. What the hell? Without another word, he grabbed her cheeks and pressed a searing kiss against her mouth. Fingers weaved into his hair as she kissed him with as much fiery passion as he was kissing her. When he pulled away, she was smiling.

"Took you long enough." She laughed and pulled him back down for a deep, wet kiss.

They did not leave the loft for hours.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"What you did for Walt a few minutes ago... that was nice." Happy said as she looked at Toby from her workstation.

"Why thank you, Happy." Toby smiled and waltzed his way over to her. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Not by a long shot." Happy's frown returned.

"Yeah. Didn't think so." Toby sighed and turned towards his desk; if only he knew the small smile he received when he turned his back towards the woman he loved.

"Someday, doc." Happy muttered. "Someday."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Just fluff.

I wrote this at three in the morning so hopefully there are no errors.

What did you think?


	9. Sabotage

**WriterFreak001: **

Nothing new other than the fact that waiting for Monday will be my undoing.

* * *

**Title** | Sabotage

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige gets a flat tire on her way back from night school and calls Walter to pick her up. (request by idkimdone on Tumblr). Consider this story taking place before 1x20 but after 1x19.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for romantic stuff and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Sabotage**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One Shot **

**~ S****CORPION ~**

After Paige climbed into her red Chevy and closed her door, she pulled out her keys to start her car, but as she twisted them forward, her car wouldn't ignite. "Come on," Paige muttered and gave it another go. Nothing. "You can't be serious," she pushed her bangs back and leaned her head against the headrest. She inhaled a deep breath and tried turning on her car one more time. Still, nothing. "Dammit!" She reached for her bag and pulled out her phone; she really didn't want to call Walter so late at night, but she didn't really see any other choice. Paige tapped her phone with her fingers, contemplating whether or not she should call him or call a tow. After weighing the pros and cons and realizing that calling Walter would be the cheaper option, she unlocked her phone screen and called him.

He answered after the first ring. _"Paige?" _

"Hey…."

"_Is everything all right? Is Ralph okay?" _

Paige smiled in response to Walter's concern for her son; evidence that he truly did care for the boy. "Ralph's fine," she laughed. At least she _hoped _he was fine. "Sylvester offered to watch him tonight so I could focus on my studies."

"_Oh. That's… generous of him." _Walter's voice faded; she sensed a note of jealousy in his voice, making her grin even wider. _"So… is this a social call, then?" _

"Funny story," Paige forced a chuckle, "My car won't start."

"_Did you call Happy?" _

"No." Paige inwardly slapped herself; Happy knew more about cars than Walter. Of course he'd refer her to the mechanic. "I don't want to bother her if she's… with Toby."

"_Oh. OH. O-Okay." _Paige could just imagine Walter's eyes popping open when he realized what she was insinuating. _"Are you at the university?" _

"Yeah."

"_Kay. I'll be there soon. Just… stay in the car until I get there." _Walter said before the call ended.

Paige couldn't help but smile again; he might not realize it, but his concern for both her and Ralph was very evident. He hardly told anybody else to be careful or watch their backs so she had to wonder if him telling her to stay safe was some sort of sign that he cared for her as more than just a friend. Ever since Drew left for Portland, she had noticed her attraction for Walter increasing; she couldn't get the moment in the forest when he reached for her hand out of her mind. Even though she wasn't a genius, she tried replaying that scene over and over again, trying to determine if he was reaching out to her as a friend or as… something more.

For minutes, she sat in her car and stared at the wall of the parking garage in front of her. Walter sure was taking his sweet time. She wondered if there was another traffic gridlock, but if there was, surely he'd call. The longer she waited, the more restless she grew. If there was one thing she hated, it was waiting. "Where are you, Walter?"

Unsure whether she should get out of her car and walk around the parking garage until he arrived or do as Walter said and stay in the car, she started counting. Ralph usually counted when he was bored so maybe counting would keep her calm. It didn't. She had slowly counted to twenty before giving up.

So…, with nothing much else to do, she closed her eyes and rested her head against the headrest, hoping he'd show up soon.

**~ SCORPION ~**

A half hour after Paige had called him, Walter pulled into the parking garage of the university, parking next to Paige's Chevy. He would have arrived sooner, but his car was being stingy and needed gas. He climbed out of his car and slammed the door shut before circling around the Chevy's bumper towards the driver's side. He peeked inside the vehicle and found Paige fast asleep. He almost didn't want to wake her; she seemed peaceful and at ease. There was something about the way she slept that intrigued Walter; her head was tilted towards her shoulder, and her mouth was partly open. He wasn't sure if it was a glare from the window, but he could have sworn she was drooling, and for some unknown reason, he wanted to commit this rarity to memory.

Paige – even when sleeping – was undoubtedly attractive; even a man with an IQ of 197 wasn't blind nor ignorant of the physical changes his body underwent whenever she was near him. Her smile lit up the room, and for reasons beyond his understanding, seeing her smile or hearing her laugh told him things were going to be okay. Weird, but it was how he felt. He'd probably never understand it (and there was no way in hell he was going to talk to Toby about it either) (or anybody else, period).

After a few more minutes of watching her sleep, he finally knocked on the window, and her eyes popped open. She nearly jumped out of her seat and grabbed her chest when she saw him; he pressed his lips together to stifle his laughter. Her reaction was quite amusing. "Jesus Christ, Walter!" Paige exclaimed as she opened her door, "You shouldn't creep on people like that!"

"How else was I supposed to get your attention?" Walter raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"I don't know? Call?" Paige shrugged as she climbed out of her car.

"Calling you when you're three feet away is a waste of money and minutes." Walter stated as he glanced inside the car. Paige stood close with her arms folded in front of her. "Yep. Just as I thought. Dead battery."

"You barely looked at the thing," Paige blinked as she wedged between Walter and the car door; Walter could feel her breath brushing against his neck. It was oddly soothing but uncomfortable at the same time. "Just what did you see to determine that?"

Walter pointed at the open vanity mirror. "You forgot to close the mirror so having it open during the course of your night class drained your car battery."

"Of course it did." Paige groaned as she straightened her back and leaned against her car. Walter closed the mirror, pushed up the visor and closed the car door. "Jumper cables would work, but if we try to jump my car with yours, we could risk causing a short and frying my own battery." He forced a chuckle. "And we already know my car is very, very limited as is."

"So…, you're telling me I'm screwed?" Paige pushed her hair back and glanced at her car before looking at Walter.

"No…, your car will be fine once the battery is replaced…. It's just…worthless until then." Walter scratched the back of his head. "Best case scenario: we call a tow and have it delivered to the garage. Happy can fix your car first thing in the morning."

"What's the worst case scenario?" Paige lifted an eyebrow.

"Leave it here and hope it doesn't get stolen overnight." Walter deadpanned as he pulled out his phone. "I know a guy…." Walter pulled out his phone and unlocked it. "He owes me a favor for updating his Wi-Fi for free; I'll give him a call."

"Okay. Thanks." Paige smiled as she brushed her hair out of her face. When Walter stepped to the side as he made his phone call, Paige slipped back inside her car and grabbed her things.

"It's unlocked," he spoke softly and watched her circle around her car towards his. He followed her and told her to feel free and take a nap if she's tired. She didn't climb into the car though; she walked back up to him. His conversation with Jared was quick and to the point. At first, Jared said he'd pick up the vehicle in the morning, but after Walter kindly reminded him what he learned while going through the man's computer, Jared almost instantly changed his mind and said he'd be at the university parking garage within the hour. Once the call was finished, Walter locked his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. "He's on his way."

"Do you make a habit of going through peoples' computers when they want you to update or fix something for them?" Paige asked as she leaned against his car.

Walter shrugged. "People ask me to fix their computers; that's what I do. It's not my fault if information is in plain sight or easily accessible." His response sent her a smile; she laughed, too.

"So," she shoved her hands into her pockets, "How long?"

"Within the hour."

"So… we wait." Paige sighed and slumped her shoulders.

"Yeah. We wait."

**~ SCORPION ~**

After another half hour of waiting, Walter's acquaintance finally came and was instructed to tow Paige's car to the garage. Paige was already in Walter's Datsun, waiting for him to finish giving the tow trucker directions. It had been a long night, and all she wanted to do was go home, take a hot bath and go to bed – exclusively in that order. When Walter climbed into his car, he asked her if she wanted to be taken home or to the garage, and for reasons unknown to her, she muttered the word "garage."

So that was where he took her, and she had no complaints.

As long as there was a bath and a bed, she didn't really care where she went – she was too tired to care.

When they arrived to the garage, Paige grabbed her things and slowly walked inside as Walter dealt with his friend… or acquaintance… or whoever the hell he was. Paige sauntered over to the couch and quietly waited for Walter, hoping she wouldn't pass out in the process.

She closed her eyes to pass the time, and his voice startled her. Again. She didn't jump as high as the first time, though. "You can use the loft tonight; I'll sleep on the couch down here."

"Are you sure?" Paige yawned and stretched. "I mean, I don't want to inconvenience you or anything."

"You're n—I mean, it's not an inconvenience," Walter quickly answered as he slowly walked towards her. "I don't mind." He crossed his arms. "Feel free to use the bathroom up there too…, and, um, if you decide to take a shower or something…, there's a pair of sweats you can use. They're in the third shelve of my wardrobe."

Paige pushed herself to her feet and lightly tapped Walter's cheek. "Thanks a bunch." As she slowly made her way to the stairs, she realized she had forgotten her bag on the couch. She turned to fetch it, but Walter already had it hanging over his shoulder.

"You go on up; I can bring this."

"Okay." She flashed a small smile and teetered towards the steps before dragging her feet up the stairs. By the sound of his footsteps, she could tell he was walking closely behind her. When she reached the loft, Walter placed her bag on the counter and said he would be downstairs if she needed anything. As he spun on his heels and made his way to the door, Paige called out to him. She didn't know why she did, but his name slipped from her lips before she could stop herself. He stopped walking and turned back around as she walked up to him.

"Yeah?" His eyebrows lifted, and his lips were pressed tightly together.

Crap. "Uh…, thanks for the ride."

"Oh," he scratched the side of his face and then slightly loosened his tie, "um…, yeah. No problem."

Before she knew what the hell she was doing, she leaned up close to him and lightly pressed her lips against his cheek. His rigidity made her smile as she whispered goodnight into his ear. He was still frozen when she briskly left him for his makeshift bedroom. She had a feeling he was going to be standing there for a while.

And for the first time in ages, she giggled like a teenager.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Of all of the things Walter had been expecting, that – _that _– was certainly not one of them. When he finally regained control of his motor skills, he scratched his nose and gulped, trying to ignore the burning sensation in his ears. He heard the shower water turn on and took that as his cue to leave.

He never ran down the stairs so fast.

**~ SCORPION ~**

As she turned on the faucet and stood under the showering water, she softly hummed to herself, hoping it would ease the awkward feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. She had only been in Walter's room once, prepping him for a case so it was strange for her to be in there again, taking a shower in his bathroom. Strange, but… oddly, comforting.

Sort of like Walter, himself.

That thought made her smile.

Walter was one of the strangest people she knew; he did things most people couldn't be paid to do – swinging over ravines, jumping in front of cars, driving under planes; everything he did was unconventional, and maybe that was one of the reasons Paige had fallen for him. He was different…. Unique…. Special and weird. He was always surprising her with his intellect and his lack of fear. He kept life interesting, and he wasn't even trying. He was just being… Walter. Everything about him was genuine.

And genuine was good.

After Paige's shower, she changed into the sweats Walter was letting her borrow and pulled the covers back on his bed. The moment she hit the sheets, she was out cold.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter stared at the ceiling and glanced at the loft every couple hundred seconds; he couldn't shake the strange feeling he felt when Paige kissed his cheek. The things he felt around her were foreign; they made him want things he had never wanted with a woman before Paige. In the past, his relationships with other women were purely physical – and even _those _relationships were greatly unsuccessful. But with Paige, the things he wanted were beyond the physical. While – yes – he did have a sexual attraction to the woman, he also was often curious of her interests too. He liked talking to her (though, mostly, he just enjoyed listening to her mellifluous voice), and he greatly enjoyed her company (more so than anybody else on the team). While he didn't have a care for liberal arts, whenever she discussed her studies, he found them interesting – he had made a personal note to pay more attention to her when she spoke about her lessons because her knowledge of European history was what ultimately saved the world from going to World War III.

That was the first time he realized that liberal arts, in some cases, were useful.

As he stared at the ceiling and thought about the woman who often plagued his dreams, he knew it was going to be a very, very long night.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Paige woke up a few hours later and stretched her arms; for some reason, something told her to check on Walter. She slid off of the bed and sauntered out of the loft towards the stairs; Walter was sitting on the sofa with his hands folded in his lap. His head was slumped forward, and he looked very uncomfortable. Paige descended the stairs and slowly approached him. He was snoring softly; she almost didn't wake him up.

When she quietly spoke his name, he jerked awake and rubbed his eyes before looking at her. "Sorry," she apologized and took a seat next to him. "You looked really uncomfortable."

He shrugged and smiled. "It's just one night."

"You go upstairs; I'll sleep down here." Paige muttered groggily as she brought her palm to his back and started rubbing his shoulders. To her surprise, he didn't freeze from her touch.

"No. It's okay. I'll manage." Walter pulled down on his face and yawned.

"Well," Paige decided to play a little experiment, "if you're not going to go up there, then I'm staying down here with you."

He turned to look at her. "What purpose would that serve?"

She shrugged. "You getting a good night of rest makes my job saner during the day."

Walter's face contorted. "I still don't see how your presence would help me sleep seeing as it mostly does quite the opposite…."

"Oh really?" A smile found Paige's lips; so she keeps him up at night, huh? This was going to be fun. She had an idea as to how to help him be more comfortable around her – and it involved a _lot _of tactile communication. "Are you up to a social experiment?"

"Something tells me you're going to go through with whatever you're scheming regardless of what I say." Walter gulped.

"Pretty much," she chuckled and hooked her arms around his neck; he was more confused than shocked as she flopped backwards against the couch, tugging him down with her in the process.

"W-What are you doing?" Walter stammered; he was growing rigid again.

"Trust me," Paige winked. "It's related."

And before he could pull away, she yanked him down for a deep kiss.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Long, wet and slow were the only words of which Walter could think to describe the way Paige's lips molded with his. The sensations he felt as the tip of her tongue flicked against his were unchartered, but whatever they were, he didn't want them to end. His palms had found her cheeks, and her fingers were lost in his hair. He didn't even know where his mouth ended and where hers began; all he knew was that he was kissing Paige Dineen, and he was very much enjoying it.

As she feathered wet kisses along his jawline and wrapped her legs around his hips, he pushed against her, sending both of them on overdrive. Paige found his lips and kissed him again with her tongue rolling into his mouth as she mindlessly loosened his tie and pulled it off of him. He worked at the buttons of his shirt, and she peeled off the sweatshirt she was wearing, revealing a lot more than Walter was expecting. She barely gave him enough time to look at her bare chest as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him senselessly. Feeling her warm, soft flesh against his chest was riveting – a sensation he never wanted to forget.

"Wait, wait," she tore her lips from him when his left palm found her pointed breast and lightly strummed his thumb over her nipple. He paused and found her eyes; she gave him a small smile and whispered, "We need to slow things down…."

Walter didn't understand what she was asking. "You want me to go slower?"

"No, Walter," she shook her head and removed his hand from her breast, lacing her fingers with his. "We need to take things slower as in… one step at a time. Okay?"

"Hold on, hold on," Walter tried to figure some things out, "let me get this straight; you kiss me and make every indication that you want us to engage in sexual intercourse, but now… you don't want it? Am I missing something?" Paige laughed. "I-Is this funny to you?"

Paige brought his palm to her lips and kissed it. "Oh, I want it all right…. Just… not now." Walter remained silent so she continued. "You have no idea how long I've wanted _it _with you, but our first time shouldn't be a result of a silly social experiment…. It should be romantic and genuine and not just stemming from impulse and desire. Does that make sense?"

"Not really."

Paige pushed her hair back. "I want _us _to be more than just physical, Walter…. I don't want sex to be what defines our relationship; understand?"

"Yeah," Walter nodded; he, too, wanted more than a physical relationship with Paige. So if she thought they needed to wait, he would wait. He reached down to pick up the sweatshirt she had been wearing and handed it to her. "Here."

"Thanks," Paige smiled before slipping the sweatshirt over her head. She finally uncoiled her legs from around him, and both of them sat up on the couch. Paige leaned her head against Walter's shoulder and still had her fingers interlocked with his. Walter grabbed a blanket and draped it over both of them before pressing his cheek against the top of her head. And after minutes of listening to Paige's slow breaths as she slept on his shoulder, Walter finally found it inside of him to fall asleep too.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Toby and Happy climbed out of the shrink's Monte Carlo and headed for the garage for another day of work. However, when they walked into the Cyclone's fortress, neither one of them were prepared for the surprising sight they saw on the couch.

Walter and Paige were sleeping peacefully together on the sofa; the man was freakin' shirtless, and the translator was wearing sweats. Only one could guess what those to lovebirds were up to during the night. Toby smirked and took out his phone, quickly capturing proof of Walter's EQ so he could add it to his personal Waige file.

"Hey, Doc," Happy tapped Toby on the shoulder; her voice was barely above a whisper. "Let's go get some breakfast at Kovelsky's and leave them alone for a while longer."

"Okay," Toby nodded, following Happy out the door. When they got into the car, he looked at Happy as he started the engine. "Now. Are you _sure _Walter won't figure it out?"

"Don't insult me, Doc." Happy pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "I know how to switch a car battery, thank you very much; I even opened the vanity mirror so Walter wouldn't suspect tampering."

"Guess the plan worked after all." Toby grinned. "You owe me fifty bucks."

"Actually, I do not." Happy said as she looked out the window. She then turned to face him, "Your bet specified them sharing a bed after we sabotaged Paige's car; they were sharing a couch."

"Come on, seriously?" Toby turned on his car and pulled out of the alleyway.

"If you want to earn money, Doc, I suggest you be less specific in your gambles." Happy smirked and patted the shrink's shoulder. "Maybe next time."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

That ended up being longer than I expected, but I liked how it turned out. :)

Thoughts?


	10. 197 Candles

**WriterFreak001: **

_Broken Pieces_ will be updated sometime Tuesday or Wednesday; I had a very bad headache and also needed to take a liiiiittle breather from that story to think about what I want to happen next. (plus, I'll need a therapy tool after 1x21 sooooo writing the next chapter to _Broken Pieces_ will definitely help my sanity as I wait for the season finale!) Anyway, enjoy this one-shot.

PS. I changed the rating to M because of content material on this story.

Don't get used to these kinds of one-shots.

* * *

**Title** | 197 Candles

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | The Cyclone is planning a surprise party for Walter's birthday. (request by screamfan1234 on TUMBLR) (This story will take place a few years after season 1)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M just to be safe.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**197 Candles**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One Shot **

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Good morning!" Paige exclaimed cheerfully as she waltzed into the garage and beamed at her coworkers on her way to her desk. She dropped her purse onto the floor and turned on her computer as Toby walked up to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Miss Dineen," Toby casually greeted her with a smile and pointed towards his desk. "A word, if you will?"

"Is something wrong Toby?"

"Quite the opposite," the shrink grinned and took off his hat. "As you know," he glanced towards the loft and lowered his voice, "Today is 197's birthday, and while we usually don't celebrate birthdays, we wanna do something special for him for putting up with all of us misfits for so long."

"That sounds lovely; I'm sure Walter will appreciate it." Paige smiled as she spoke her boyfriend's name. Come to think of it…, she wondered where he was. "Where is he, by the way?"

"Working on some experiment in the loft," Toby quickly answered. "Also, Walter specifically asked for no surprises, but you know me…. I really love seeing that man squirm; anyway, we have a little problem…. You see, Cabe was supposed to send Walt on a wild goose chase to keep him busy until 4 PM, but Mr. Homeland Security got roped into doing paperwork today; he's promised to make the P-A-R-T-Y, but he won't be able to keep up his end of the plan." Toby leaned against the edge of Paige's desk and crossed his arms. So, project manager, what do you suggest we do?"

"Hmmm…, so you basically need Walter out of the garage until 4 pm, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Happy's gonna get the food, Sly's gonna be decorating the place, and I'm in charge of tomfooleries. I was _gonna _just have you go with Walt on this wild goose chase because of his lack of social skills, but since that's a bust now, I'm not exactly sure how we'll drag 197 out of the loft without there being a case involved." Toby sighed as he put his hat back on. "You think you might be able to convince him to leave the garage without him suspecting anything?"

Paige smiled. "Oh. I'm pretty sure I can think of something."

"Great! Awesome! Don't worry about Ralph; Happy and I'll pick him up from school this afternoon."

Paige pulled out her phone and sent a text to her son. "Good. Just told Ralph."

"So… how soon can you get 197 outta here? The sooner the better." Toby asked as he glanced at the loft again.

"Give me five minutes." Paige bent down and picked up her purse before making her way to the stairs. She knew exactly how she would convince Walter to leave the garage, and he wasn't going to know what had hit him. She quickly ascended to the loft and found Walter at his computer, working on another one of this future groundbreaking projects. He didn't even notice her walking in; typical. He was always so invested in his work – one of his many attractive qualities. Sometimes she wished she had his level of focus; it would certainly make aspects of her job a little bit easier.

She dropped her purse on the counter, circled around the couches and then approached Walter from behind, draping her arms over his shoulders as she pressed her cheek against his. "So what is my second favorite genius working on _this_ time?"

"Just upgrading an old program I designed back in high school; I've had a few ideas for it when I first designed it, but back then, the technology I needed hadn't been developed yet. Now that it is, I can finally work on fine-tuning the plan I initially had for it." Her boyfriend explained without taking his eyes away from his computer.

"Are you almost finished?" Paige tightened her arms around his neck and lightly kissed his cheek.

"Not one bit;" Walter chuckled and continued typing. "It'll take weeks before it's finished."

"Good," Paige smirked and brought her lips to his ear, mumbling, "You. Me. My apartment. Now."

Walter turned towards her with wide eyes. "N-Now?"

"Now." Paige repeated softly and brought him closer to her for a deep, wet kiss, sliding her long, slender fingers underneath the waistbands of his jeans and boxers to touch him. He quietly moaned into her mouth as she held him…, cupped him…, squeezed him, and she enjoyed the power she had over the man she loved. She was the only one who had the ability to take Walter O'Brien out of his mind with a simple touch… or a kiss…. As she tugged on his bottom lip with her mouth, she gently pulled away from him and then sucked on his earlobe as her hand continued to work its magic below. His ear was warm and soft against her tongue. His breath hitched as he hardened within her palm. She grinned wickedly and removed her hand from him, whispering, "Happy Birthday, Walter." She kissed him again and then added, "If you want a lot more than _that_, you'll come with me to my apartment so we can get started on the _rest _of your birthday present."

She rose to her feet and went to retrieve her purse when she heard her boyfriend's chair roll backwards. She smiled and turned towards him. "So. Your car or mine?"

"Yours. My Datsun is unreliable." Walter cleared his throat and then added, "I've gotta…take care of something first."

"Okay," Paige laughed, watching him veer around and bolt for the bathroom.

She had never seen him run so fast.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"I wonder why Cabe was handed so much paperwork today," Walter said as he and his girlfriend climbed out of her car. "It's odd that Homeland would force him to do the work; he's an agent – not a secretary."

"Maybe the paperwork he has to do is confidential?" Paige shrugged and locked her car. "It doesn't really matter; Cabe wouldn't miss out on a day of work unless it was very important – so I'm sure the paperwork is vital to his job."

"I guess…," Walter wasn't convinced, but he decided to let it go – he didn't leave the garage to think (or worry) about Cabe; he came for much, _much_ better reasons. Paige silently led him up to her apartment, but the moment the door was closed behind them, she locked her apartment and jumped him, wrapping her legs around his hips and kissing him hard on the mouth. Her fingers curled into his hair, and he peeled off her shirt before walking towards her bedroom. In minutes, clothes were torn off, and nothing but strong desire was between them.

They made love well into the afternoon, and Paige's promise to make his birthday worthwhile was certainly well-delivered; she did things to him she had never done before – things he definitely wanted her to do again in every foreseeable future. The way it felt to have her soft lips and tongue kissing and sucking and licking every surface of his body was earthshattering.

And just when he thought his day couldn't get any better, the shower sex was beyond anything he had ever experienced; yes, he had had sex with Paige in the shower many times, but there was just something different about the way they made love in the shower this time – it was more primal and a lot more erotic (on Paige's level, mostly). There wasn't a skin cell on his body she didn't touch with her tongue; everything she did made him throb for more.

And when she brought his fingers to the soft tissue between her legs and then physically encouraged him to touch her, she pressed her lips against his ear and muttered, "I want you to lick me too."

Oh God…. He was a dead man.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Paige's fingers were weaving into her boyfriend's hair as he made love to her; he might have an IQ of 197 and lack certain EQ skills, but the way he kissed…, touched…, licked… and sucked on her skin was breathtaking. She even recalled his teeth grazing against her flesh. Walter might be a lot of things, but he was not one to back away from challenges, and for the last two years, she had to coach him… teach him how to make love…. She had told him once that she wanted more than a sexual relationship. She wanted him to love her and not just screw her body (though, when things became very primal and hardcore, she never complained). It took a long time for them to have the romantic relationship they currently have, but she had no regrets. Walter – even when they first started sleeping together – made her feel beautiful.

And loved.

And desired.

God, she loved that man, and she knew he loved her even though he didn't express his feelings as often as she did. He was getting better at it, but he still had a long way to go before he would ever blossom into a social butterfly.

As they laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling with their limbs tangled together, she wondered if it was the perfect time to tell him. She still had another birthday present in store for him (and depending on how long the party goes, she might continue with her first birthday gift tonight). She had thought about making an announcement first but she figured Walter would want to know before everyone else – especially since her small gift is going to change the dynamics of the team a little bit.

She turned towards the clock and noticed the time. 3:15 PM. They should really get cleaned up…. She was just about to say something when, "We should probably get dressed; after that little lie you told the group, telling them we were going to the Observatory, they're going to start wondering where we actually are."

"And we certainly wouldn't want them tracking us back to here…." Paige played along even though she knew the team were a little too busy to worry about their whereabouts.

"No…. We wouldn't want that." Walter sighed only to be surprised with a searing kiss against his mouth. As Paige kissed him, she climbed off of him and then pulled him towards the bathroom. "Wait…," he blinked, causing her to turn around, "What about Ralph? He gets out of school around this time."

"Don't worry," Paige smiled and cupped his cheeks. "I asked Toby to pick him up if we weren't back by 2 PM so it's all good."

"Okay." Walter said as she turned around and dragged him into the bathroom, secretly deciding to give her present to him later.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"I don't understand why you changed into something different when we're just going back to the garage to find out if Cabe ever came back with a case," Walter mumbled as Paige opened the door.

"You don't need to," Paige laughed and stepped into the garage. "It's just something women sometimes do."

Walter scratched the side of his face. "I'll never understand women."

"That's good," Paige whispered and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Keeps life more entertaining when there are mysteries."

As they walked into the garage, it was very, very dark. "Dammit," Walter muttered, "Happy must have shorted a fuse again."

"Or," Paige flipped on the lights, "someone killed the switch."

"Why would they do that?" Walter asked, realizing the entire garage was empty.

"Who knows?" Paige shrugged, inwardly smirking. As she tugged Walter towards the loft, there was a big POP and then a loud "SURPRISE," which sent both the genius and the translator jumping. Even though Paige knew about the party, she was still startled from everyone's sudden presence. Walter only blinked as Toby, Happy, Sylvester, Megan, Ralph and Cabe came out from behind various objects. Confetti was falling everywhere. To shake her boyfriend out of his trance, Paige kissed his cheek again and then wished him a happy birthday.

He finally turned to her. "Did you know about this?"

"Some…. Not all." Paige laughed and took his hand, pulling him towards everyone. "Toby asked me to keep you out of the garage, and that – as you know – is _exactly _what I did."

"Why do I get the feeling I've been swindled?" Walter raised an eyebrow and glanced at Paige.

"Because you _so _were." Paige smirked and gave him a quick kiss before making her way to her son.

…

Walter was greeted by everyone, and then they eventually made their way to the table and had a big feast. At first, Walter wasn't very happy with Toby for going against his wishes, but he couldn't complain about Toby having Paige _distract _him earlier in the day…. The things she did were still reeling in his mind. After dinner, Toby and Happy cleaned up while Walter spent some time with his sister, talking to her and asking her how things were at the hospital. He didn't dare ask her about her relationship with Sylvester…. Even though it's been a few years since they've started dating, Walter still found it very, very awkward.

"How about you open your presents now, 197?" Toby marched out of the kitchen, followed by Happy and handed Walter a terribly wrapped box.

Walter ripped off the paper and opened the box; inside was a book on the latest technological advances in Science. "Thanks, Toby."

"Not a prob. Saw it in the store the other day and was like what the heck? So I bought it." Toby shrugged.

"With my money," Happy added.

"Details… details…." Toby nervously laughed. "Anyway, open up Happy's gift now."

Happy gave Walter her gift, and he removed the paper, revealing the latest telescope model. "Now you have one you can set up next to Ralph's."

"Thanks." Walter grinned at the mechanic and saw the smile on Ralph's face. Slowly, he opened everyone's presents. Sylvester got him a new Rubik's Cube, Megan gave him a gag gift – a book entitled _Emotions for Dummies_, and Ralph handed him a folded letter. He opened up the note and read it to himself.

_I struggled wondering what to give Walter for his birthday, but Mom told me to give him something that would be special between the two of us. I don't have money so I couldn't buy him something, and I didn't want to ask Mom to buy me something for him because then the present I would give him wouldn't have been directly from me. So I didn't buy anything. I spent hours documenting all of the moments Walter and I shared throughout the years, and I realized that I didn't need to give him anything special because we already have something special in common: my mom. So…, I've decided my present to Walter would be my mom; for years, it was just me and Mom. Then Walter came along and invited us into his Cyclone. Our Cyclone. _

_Walter and my mom have been dating for a few years now, and I know my mom means a lot to Walter because they're still together. And Walter means a lot to me too as more than a friend; he's like the dad I never really had. My real dad visited some…, but his passion was baseball, not my mom and not me. Walter, on the other hand, works everything around my mom and me; we come first. He makes my mom feel special, and I can tell he cares a lot for her so that's why I decided to give my mom to Walter. Billy's parents are married, and even though Walter – to my knowledge – doesn't believe in things like marriage, I know he loves Mom. And loving my Mom and just wanting to be with her is as good enough as any marriage, and I still see him as my dad. So it's all good. _

_But…, if somewhere down the road he wants to marry my Mom, he can do that too. _

Once Walter finished reading, he reached over and ruffled the preteen's hair. "Thanks, buddy. I really appreciate it."

Ralph beamed and gave his mother a hug before surprising Walter with one too. Everyone laughed. Walter then folded the note and placed it in his pocket for safe keeping.

"What did the note say?" Paige asked, placing a hand on his knee.

He glanced at Ralph and then to his girlfriend. "I've been sworn to secrecy."

"If you say so," Paige laughed, leaning her cheek on his shoulder as Cabe handed Walter a small box.

"Open it." Cabe smirked as Walter took the box from him. Walter removed the lid, and his eyes popped open.

"No…."

"No?" Cabe blinked. "I could have sworn that was what you wanted. If not…, I'll keep it." Cabe reached for the gift, but Walter gave him a glare.

"Touch. You die." Walter warned as he dangled the gift in his fingers, causing everyone to laugh.

"In case you're wondering, the bigger part of the gift is in the back of the garage." Cabe chuckled, and before he could say another word, Walter bolted from his seat to the back.

His eyes were wider than ever as a yellow Lamborghini sat in front of him. He ran his hand along its smooth surface and then climbed into the car, smelling its newness. This gift was almost as good as the gift Paige had given him! He wrapped his fingers along the steering wheel as everyone crowded around him.

"Great," Paige laughed, "Now I'll never get him out of there."

"Well," Toby shrugged, "Lamborghini sex is probably a thing."

Happy bumped his ribs with her elbow as Ralph beamed at his mother. "Hey Mom, can Walter and I take a ride in that tonight?!"

"Yeah, Mom, can we?!" Walter looked at Paige, not realizing his little mistake; he was just too lost for words to really speak. Not once did he ever think he'd ever own a Lamborghini before.

"Not tonight," Paige giggled as she rested her palms on Ralph's shoulders. "Tomorrow, maybe."

"Cool!" Ralph exclaimed, but Walter slumped. Paige leaned into the opened door and whispered some naughty things she would do with him in the Lamborghini later that night, and he instantly gulped, thinking of _all _of the possibilities his night had in store for him.

After a few more minutes, Walter reluctantly hopped out of his new car and glanced at Cabe. "So… the paperwork?"

"I was finalizing the payments for your new car; Homeland fudged for the cost, rewarding you for your services." Cabe smiled and patted the genius on the shoulder. "Happy Birthday, kid."

"Thanks." Walter shook the man's hand as Toby said, "Before we get all cake and ice cream happy, you still hadn't opened Paige's gift, yet!"

Walter found Paige's eyes as she said, "It's in my bag."

Everyone followed the liaison to the couch, and after she dug into her bag, she handed Walter a small rectangular sized box. "I was _hoping _you'd open it later, but…," she smiled, "I think now is as good as any time."

Walter sat down next to her and pulled the lid off of the tiny box; he removed the tissue paper and inside was a picture. As he stared at it, Toby's eyes popped open, Happy blinked, Sylvester's jaw dropped, Megan smiled, Cabe silently chuckled to himself and Ralph had already left to play Proton Arnold.

"Happy Birthday, Walter," Paige wiped the tear from her eye as Walter still stared at the picture.

He was busy committing the image to memory, and then he looked up to his girlfriend and said, "I guess it's safe to say I'm going to need to expand the loft before you, Ralph and," he pointed to the picture, "move in."

Paige laughed and wrapped her arms around Walter's neck, "I love you too, Walter," Paige smiled and rubbed her nose against his before pulling him in for a deep kiss.

And everyone, including Ralph, left the two alone, realizing another, more exclusive party was just about to begin.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

TWENTY MINUTES! (I'm not sure about this one-shot, but whatever).

Let me know what you think.


	11. Screw Drew

**WriterFreak001: **

I want it to be Monday, but then I don't want it to be Monday.

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**Title** | Screw Drew

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Drew is jealous of the growing connection between Walter and Paige so he decides to remind Walter that Paige was his first by sending Walter some provocative pictures of Paige she had sent to him shortly after he left LA when Ralph was two years old. When Paige finds out about these pictures, will she be able to stop Walter from opening them in time? (request by kstarbear on TUMBLR)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T just to be safe.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Screw Drew**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One Shot **

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Drew had been in town for a few days since his last gig in Portland and had told Paige about his coaching job offer; she seemed supportive of the position, but she didn't seem interested in leaving LA. While she claimed it was because of her job and because of the positive effects Scorpion had on Ralph, he knew there was another deeper reason as to why she wanted to stay in Los Angeles. She might not admit it out loud, but Drew recognized the way Paige looked at Walter; it was the same look she used to give him before he screwed things up by focusing on baseball rather than his family. And he saw the way Walter looked at her too, and even though that man claimed he was nothing more than a robot, Drew wasn't an idiot. Walter always had this puppy dog face whenever Drew watched the genius interact with his ex.

Like seriously; what did that genius have that Drew didn't? What did Paige see in the guy, really? Sure, he was smart and all, but what else? Drew didn't understand how Paige could go goo-goo eyes for a stiff like Walter. It didn't make sense. Perhaps she appreciated the man because of the "special connection" he had with Ralph, but appreciation wasn't the only feeling behind the eyes she gave the man. It was all mindboggling, and Drew wanted nothing more than to show Walter up. Then an idea popped in his mind, and he smirked. Sure…, it was a little dirty, but Walter needed to know his place, and he knew just how to remind the genius that Paige was _his _gal first.

All was fair in love and war.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter yawned and rubbed his eyes as he sauntered down from the loft to the lower level of the garage and made his way towards his desk. He turned on his computer and logged into his desktop before pulling up his email. Two new messages from an unknown sender. He clicked on the first one and opened the email where there were several attached photos but no message. He double-clicked on the first attachment file and immediately blanched at the content of the jpeg before quickly closing it. He didn't dare look at the other photos as he feared they were similar to the first one.

He only glanced at the photo for a split second, but the image was stained into his brain, and he doubted he would be able to get it out of his mind for a very long while. It was a very, _very _provocative picture of Paige – a much _younger _Paige – in revealing lingerie. Why someone would send him such a photo, he had no idea, but he was determined to find out who the sender was. He clicked on the second message out of curiosity and the only phrase written in the content box was: _**She was mine first. **_

Walter inhaled a deep breath of air and tried to control his anger. He didn't have to look up the sender's IP address to know where the pictures came from, but what purpose did it serve for Drew to send those photos to Walter in the first place? What was he trying to gain? Pride? A sense of ownership? Entertainment?

Hell if he ever knew, but he wasn't going to let Drew get away with what he did. Before Walter deleted both of the emails, he ensured the photos could never be seen by anybody else by importing an encryption onto each of the files, making it virtually impossible for either of the photos to be opened again. Out of spite, he sent Drew an anonymous email with a Trojan virus that would fry the man's hard drive once he opened it, hopefully forever deleting all copies of those photos the baseball player wannabe had on his computer.

**~ SCORPION ~**

After Paige dropped Ralph off at school, she hopped into her car, and her phone buzzed. She unlocked her phone and saw that she had received a text from Drew; she opened it and grew pale. Why would he still have that? To think her ex still held onto those provocative pictures she had sent to him so many years ago sickened her. What kind of sicko keeps suggestive images of his or her ex years after the relationship had been finished?

She immediately called him. She didn't give him time to say hello when he answered. "Drew, what the hell?!"

"_So you got my message?" _

"You have no right to keep those," Paige said as she pulled out of Ralph's school parking lot. "I want you to delete those photos."

"_Why? They were what kept me going all these years." _She could just see the smirk on his face.

"That's sick," Paige grimaced and merged onto the road. "Why send one to me?"

"_I just wanted to give you a taste of the pictures I sent to Walter this morning." _Drew chuckled.

Paige ended the call and sped to the garage, not wanting to hear Drew's twisted explanation as to why he would send Walter all of those pictures. When she arrived at the garage, she parked her car, locked it and scrambled inside to find Walter at his desk. No one else was in yet. "If you receive anything from anyone you don't know," Paige stammered as she tried to catch her breath, "don't open them."

"If you're talking about the pictures Drew sent, I already opened them." Walter glanced at her, and she blanched. "Don't worry, I've already sent his computer a Trojan so when he opens my reply, all files will be deleted, including any and all digital copies of those pictures."

Paige gulped. "D-did you see them?"

"Only one, but I closed it faster than I had opened it. I didn't look at the rest." Walter replied as she slowly approached his desk. "I don't know what Drew was trying to prove by sending another email, reminding me that you were his _first_, but he'll get his soon enough."

Paige's cheeks were very, very warm. "Drew can be a bit… testy… when he's jealous. He doesn't like losing." She pushed her hair back and crossed her arms in front of her. "I feel like I should explain those pictures."

"You don't need to." Walter answered quickly, but she could tell he was curious.

"It was shortly after Drew left LA for those seven long years when those pictures were taken. There was once a time when he and I were very much in love, and… back then, I was a very different person… so," she blushed, "sometimes to motivate him for his games, I sent him a picture… of me…. And, well, yeah; the pictures stopped when I realized he wasn't coming home…." She pushed her hair back, "Stupid, huh?" She felt embarrassed for sending those pictures to Drew in the first place.

"What happened between you and Drew isn't really my business," Walter said as she sat down at the corner of his desk.

"I know…, but I didn't want you to think… differently of me…." Now Paige was _really _blushing.

Walter blinked. "How would photos of your past affect my opinion of you – especially if they were from a time long before we met?"

Paige shrugged. "I guess I don't really know…." She curled a strand of hair behind her ear. "Anyway, could you, uh, do me a favor and find a way to hack into Drew's phone and delete those photos? He texted me one today so I assume he has copies on his phone too."

"Yeah, sure. No problem." Walter nodded and started tapping away on his computer. "It'll take a few minutes, though."

"Not a problem." Paige smiled. "Thanks."

"Yep." Walter caught her gaze and then returned to his computer. "And done."

"Just like that?" Paige raised her eyebrows.

He smiled. "Just like that."

Suddenly an idea popped into her mind. "I've got an idea as to how we can get back at him."

"How?" Walter raised an eyebrow. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from his desk towards the loft. They entered his makeshift bedroom. "And I repeat…," Walter blinked, "How are we going to get back at Drew, and why does it concern my bedroom?"

"Well," Paige shrugged, "Assuming that the reason he sent those photos is because he's jealous and wanted you to have some reason to think of me differently, I think we should show him up by sending him a picture of us…," she glanced at his bed, "in your bed…, faking some… provocative things."

She heard the man in front of her gulp. "Say what?"

"You heard me," Paige bit her lip and then said, "Now take off your shirt."

Walter blinked. "You want me to what?"

"Take off your shirt," Paige pointed to his light blue collared shirt. "I'm not asking you to strip naked, Walter, so quit being a baby."

Walter mumbled something incoherent as he unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it off of him. She lost herself inside her mind as she stared at his chest; for a guy who wasn't very athletic, he was in _very _good shape. His abdomen was well-toned too. When Walter called out her name, she snapped herself out of her drool-worthy fantasies and ordered him to slide into the bed. He did as he was told, but his facial expression was evident that he was very, _very _confused. She then pulled off her own shirt.

"Uh, Paige…, what're you doing?"

"Just making things look a little bit more real," Paige replied as she slipped her arms out of her bra straps. She slipped into the bed next to him and held the covers against her chest as she rested the back of her head against Walter's shoulder. He was frozen next to her, and she couldn't help but smile in response to his frigid state. "Now…, to get back at Drew, he's…, um…, he's going to have to believe we've just got done having sex so…," Paige glanced at Walter who was still so very tense, "I need to get you loosened up a little bit before anything else." Paige turned around and hovered over him with the upper half of her body pressing against his torso. She was tempted to run her fingers through his hair, but she restrained herself and said, "To make things more real…, I'm going to have to… kiss you… so… think of all of this as a social experiment."

Walter's voice was dry and hoarse. "Okay."

Without warning, she pressed her lips against Walter's, telling herself she was only trying to get back at her ex, but as her lips interlocked with his, she found her fingers curling into Walter's hair and wanting a lot more than what she was giving him. She opened his mouth with hers and flicked her tongue against his. Something ignited inside of Walter, because the next thing she knew, his palms here cupping her cheeks, and he was kissing her as wet and as hard as she was kissing him. As their kiss deepened even more, Paige mindlessly climbed on top of Walter and rocked her pelvis against his. His hands had migrated from her cheeks to her shoulders to the small of her back and now they were touching her bottom, pressing her firmly against him.

And before she could stop herself, she said, "Screw Drew; I want you, Walter O'Brien." She dipped her fingers underneath the lip of his jeans and boxers and touched him. "Now."

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter and Paige laid naked in the bed as both of them stared at the ceiling after the last few eventful hours of their life; it was now eleven, and Walter was surprised no one from the team had come in yet, but if they happened to be downstairs, he was grateful they didn't disturb him and Paige.

"We should probably… get downstairs…." Paige muttered as she rose forward and glanced towards the rest of the loft. "Before people get suspicious, that is."

"Okay," Walter nodded and pushed himself forward, "but don't you want to send a photo of us to Drew to get back at him for those photos?"

"Nah," Paige shook her head and then kissed him. "Let's just have _us _be our little secret for now."

"I'm okay with that," Walter mumbled and received another kiss.

"Drew can suck it for all I care," Paige shrugged and then smirked as she turned to face him. "But _I _on the other hand," she grinned wickedly and firmly wrapped her fingers around him, "would _much _rather suck something else right now."

Walter gulped. Oh God. He was dead.

And after Paige's comment, neither one of them left the loft for another few hours.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

Not sure about this one…? It seemed a little OOC for Paige to want to ever send provocative photos to Drew at any time in her life, but since it was a request, I rolled with it. I, personally, just don't see Paige being that type of person, but whatever. Beggars can't be choosers.


	12. A Deer in the Headlights

**WriterFreak001: **

Before you read further, this idea stemmed from a post I originally made on Tumblr, discussing the type of sleepwear Walter, Toby and Sylvester wear when they go to bed. The discussion spiraled to a very funny, so out of character concept about which I felt compelled to write. OddlyCas on Tumblr AND on FFN wanted this reality to happen, so this is me making it happen. Thank you to WeBuiltthePyramids and OddlyCas for this brilliant (and very funny) idea! :)

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**Title** | A Deer in the Headlights

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | You'll just have to read it…. It's too perfect and beautiful and hilarious to give a description. XD

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for suggestive themes and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Deer in the Headlights**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"I'm not asking you to glue it to your skin, Walter; I just want you to try it on and see if you actually like it," Paige, with hands on her hips, strode over to Walter as he loosened his tie and slid it out from underneath his collar. Walter knew _exactly _what she was talking about, and there was no way on Earth he was ever going to wear such a ridiculous piece of clothing if he could avoid it – and he _could _avoid it. "You never know," she began to unbutton his shirt, "you just might like it. You liked the green sweater I gave you a few Christmases ago, and if I recall correctly, you also found the silly slippers I bought for you quite comfortable."

"Yes, but those were practical gifts; a –" he glanced towards his wardrobe where he hid the most recent Christmas gift Paige had given him from the rest of the world – "footie isn't exactly ideal; I don't see a purpose for wearing such an atrocious thing nor do I find it practical."

Paige stopped unbuttoning his shirt and sighed. "Wear it, don't wear it. I don't care anymore." She pushed her hair back and took a step away from him. "Remind me to get you something more _practical _next Christmas." Her words felt like a smack in the face. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand. "You and Ralph could stay the night, you know."

"I know," she feigned a weak smile, "but Ralph has school in the morning, and my apartment is closer to his school than the garage."

Walter knew the _real _reason why she didn't want to stay the night, but he decided not to press her. "Fine. See you tomorrow." He gently squeezed her hand and then released it, shoving both of his hands into his pockets.

"Bye," she surprised him with a quick kiss on the cheek before veering around and scurrying away from him.

"Bye," he muttered softly, watching his girlfriend turn the corner; he felt like an idiot and knew he was going to have one hell of a time making things up to her.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Hours after Paige left, Walter had changed into his favorite grey sweat pants and a plain white T-shirt and was staring at the ceiling; for minutes upon minutes, he replayed the petty argument he had had with his girlfriend over and over again, trying to figure out which intricate details he had missed within the conversation. Her mood went from cheery to uninterested in a matter of seconds, and he _knew _her change in demeanor had resulted from something he had said. And after analyzing the analysis of his primary analysis, he came to one solution, and he knew he was going to regret every second of it.

Walter pushed himself off of his bed and sauntered towards his wardrobe. He tugged on the doors and dug underneath a pile of folded clothes, grabbing the dark blue footie pajamas. He placed the atrocious garment on this bed and stared at the rocket ship pattern for minutes; while he didn't understand what would possess Paige to buy him such pajamas, he recognized the sentiments behind the gesture (but still, she could have given him _anything _else as a Christmas gift or _nothing _at all; he didn't need gifts from Paige to know how she felt about him) (The sex and romantic delicacies were proof enough).

He sighed and ran his hand through his curly hair.

He needed to get this over with.

Quickly, he stripped to his briefs and slipped into the footie. He zipped it up and was expecting it to feel wrong in all sorts of places, but – to his surprise – it was actually _extremely _comfortable. He walked over to his mirror, and though he thought he looked absolutely ridiculous, he secretly liked the way the pajamas fitted him. He glanced at his discarded clothes and shrugged. One night of absolute, personal humiliation shouldn't hurt. And he was alone, too. No one would be able to ridicule him. He glanced at his silly-looking self one more time and staggered back to bed.

**~ SCORPION ~**

It was almost seven when Walter woke up from a shockingly peaceful night of sleep and made his way to the loft for some coffee. He would shower and change later. After pouring the hot brown liquid into his favorite mug (another silly gift Paige had gotten him for Christmas one year), he took a sip and then watched a segment of the morning news for a while before hearing the front door open. He assumed it was Paige and possibly Ralph if she hadn't dropped him off at school yet. He waited a few minutes, expecting her to come up to the loft in the morning like she always did when she didn't spend the night, but she didn't come. He frowned; she was probably still mad at him for blowing her gift off last night.

He quickly pulled out his phone and called her. She didn't answer, but he heard her ringer sounding off from the lower level of the garage. She _was _here. Walter pushed himself to his feet and slowly walked towards the door to the stairs; if seeing him wearing this ridiculous (but oh, so comfy) thing would put a smile on her face, he was willing to risk the humiliation. He stood atop the stairs and saw her at her desk; Ralph wasn't around. He gulped. Here goes nothing.

He gripped the railing and called out to her as he descended the stairs. She turned towards him and her expression transformed into the biggest smile he had ever seen. She rose to her feet and met him at the bottom of the stairs. "So, you decided to try it after all."

"I…, uh…, I felt like it was the only logical solution to make up for our argument last night." Walter scratched the side of his face and gulped. His ears were burning from embarrassment. "So…, uh…, now that you've seen it, I'm going to go take a shower."

He started to turn for the stairs when she hooked her arms around him and laughed. "Not so fast, Einstein." She closed the distance between them with a sweet, gratifying kiss and muttered a thank you before kissing him again. "All right," she spun him around and popped his backside, "now go take your shower before I'm tempted to rip that thing off of you and have my wicked way with you right here and now."

Walter gulped and then forced a chuckle. "Th-that _does _sound enticing…."

"Then just you wait and see what I have in store for you tonight, Mr. O'Brien." Paige smirked as she circled around him and pulled him down for a ravenous, wet kiss.

"Do we…, um…, do we have to wait?" Walter knew his request was illogical, but Paige's allure had a way of compelling Walter to thrust logic out of the universe. His attraction and his affections towards the young mother were beyond him, but the life they had together was everything Walter could have asked for in a relationship. He knew marriage, sometime down the road, wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but for now, they were both contented with the current status of their relationship.

Paige cupped his face and smiled, "Unfortunately so."

Walter sighed. "It was worth a try."

They met for another brief kiss, and then Walter started ascending the stairs when the garage door slammed open. Walter couldn't run up the stairs fast enough, and everyone – Toby, Happy, Sylvester– stopped dead in their tracks. Walter froze like a deer in the headlights. Toby dropped to the floor and began howling with laughter; Sylvester's mouth fell open, and Happy's eyes popped out of her sockets. Walter glanced at Paige; her lips were pursed, and her eyes were shifting back and forth between Walter and the team.

"Unless you want me to fire you effective immediately, you will _never _speak of this moment again." Walter said quickly before awkwardly scrambling up the stairs to take a _very _cold shower.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

This one-shot was fun to write! :3 Let me know what you think! :D


	13. Just Seven Days (1)

**WriterFreak001: **

So far, this was fun to write. :)

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**Title** | Just Seven Days

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige is out of town so Walter and Paige's daughter, Léana, asks her father if he would join her tea party. (One-shot requested by screamfan1234 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Just Seven Days**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 1**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Are you sure you'll be fine while I'm gone?" Paige asked her husband as she finished packing her bags into the trunk of her Chevy Malibu. She didn't want to leave LA, but she received the opportunity to visit Europe with selected students from the university she attended, and everyone encouraged her to take the trip - it was probably an once-in-a-lifetime ordeal, and since she was so fond of European history, the members of Scorpion thought she deserved a break from work.

Although Walter supported her and wanted whatever she wanted, he secretly wasn't too keen on the idea of Paige leaving for an entire week (but she didn't need to know that)."We'll be fine," Walter forced a chuckle as he reached up to close the trunk. "I think I've done this parenting thing long enough to do it without you for seven days." Walter picked up their four-year-old daughter, Léana and held her in his arms as Ralph gave his mother a side-hug. "Trust me, noting will go wrong."

"It's your confidence that worries me," Paige bit her lip before kissing Ralph's forehead.

"Bye Mom. Have a safe and knowledgeable trip." Ralph spoke softly as Paige gave him another hug.

"I will," Paige grinned and ruffled her teen's hair. "Even though you're almost taller than me, I'm glad I can still tall enough to mess up your hair every now and then." Ralph rolled his eyes and combed his hair back in place with his fingers as he took a step back from his family. "Love you, Ralph. Behave."

"Love you too, Mom. And I will." Ralph gave her a small smirk and a thumb's up.

Paige's heart suddenly dropped when she spotted the little lip Léana was giving her. "What's with that face?" Léana buried her head against the crook of Walter's neck and sniffled. Her long, silky dark hair covered most of her face as she sucked on her thumb. Paige combed her fingers through Léana's hair and brushed it away from her face. "Come here," she let out a small laugh and lifted her out of Walter's arms, holding her close. "You know how Mommy hates it when you cry."

Léana sniffed as Paige dabbed her rosy cheeks with her fingers and wiped her stained tears away. "I don't want you to go."

"I'll be back next Saturday, Sweetie," Paige leaned against the car and smoothed out Léana's hair. "Daddy's going to take good care of you, and your brother's going to help." Paige directed her eyes towards her son. "Right Ralph?"

"Sure," Ralph shrugged.

"And when I get back," Paige continued after bringing her lips to her daughter's forehead, "I'll have a lot of stories to tell, and I'll bring back lots of gifts for you, your brother and your father."

Léana rubbed her brown eyes and blinked. "You bring back toys?"

"Yes," Paige laughed and pushed her nose against Léana's. "I'll bring back lots of toys."

"Will you still sing me to sleep?" Léana inhaled a tiny breath and released it as she played with Paige's hair.

Paige smiled. "Tell you what, I'll call home every night and sing you to sleep over Skype. How does that sound?" Her heart melted as her daughter's lips stretched ear to ear.

"Okay!" Léana exclaimed as she clamped her hands onto her mother's face and scrunched the woman's face towards her nose. Paige took her small hands in hers and kissed her chubby fingers.

"Will you behave for your father for me?" Paige gently poked Léana's chest, and the girl nodded. "Thank you," Paige whispered softly and kissed Léana's nose. "I'm going to miss you, baby. I love you _sooooo_ much!" Paige kissed her daughter's cheeks, nose and forehead once more before letting her down on the ground. Léana ran up to Ralph, and Ralph silently got the message from both his mother and step-father to take Léana inside.

When Paige was alone with her husband, she walked up to him, wrapped her long, slender arms around his neck and smiled. "Thank you for supporting my decision to go."

"It's what you wanted," Walter's hands latched together behind her back. "You might not get this opportunity again so I'm glad you're taking it. And like Toby said the other day, you deserve a break from all the craziness here."

"Life here, Walter," Paige drew him closer to her as her fingers weaved into his hair, "as crazy as it is, is everything I'd ever want. I hope you know that."

"I do," Walter brought his hand to her face and curled a strand of her hair behind her ear. "But you _do _deserve this trip, Paige. It's a treat from the University for your hard work at school; take advantage of it."

"I'd enjoy it more if you could come with me," Paige cupped his face and smiled.

"As appealing as that sounds, the invitation was only for you." Walter muttered under his breath. He was about to say something else, but she cut him off with a searing kiss. "But," Walter gulped as she inched away from his face, "I _could _hack into the system an—"

"Don't be silly," Paige lightly chuckled and kissed him again. "You know you can't do that."

"I know." Walter sighed as his palms found her the base of her neck. His thumbs grazed her earlobes as he touched his forehead to hers. "Just be safe, okay?"

"I will." Paige whispered, kissing him softly. "It's just one week, Walter."

"Yeah. I know." He pulled her into a loving embrace and kissed the top of her head. "But a week without you is an eternity of waiting."

Paige held him tighter as she leaned towards him and closed the distance between them in a gentle kiss. "I love you."

"Mhmm. Yeah, me too." Walter muttered quickly before she pulled him down for another hot, wet kiss. As she tore away from him and circled to the driver's side of the vehicle, Walter followed her. She climbed into her car, closed the door and rolled down the window before reaching for Walter's hand.

Squeezing his palm, she smiled at him and said, "I know you're not fond of the idea of me going to another country, and trust me, I'm nervous as hell, too, but look at the bright side. When I get back, you and I will be having a _lot _of sex to make up for lost time."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Walter leaned towards the window and smirked.

"Good," Paige gave her husband a small grin before kissing him lightly on the lips. "Okay; if I'm going to make my plane, I need to leave."

"Okay," Walter mumbled as he stepped away from the vehicle. "Call me when you're up in the air and when you've landed in England."

"I will," Paige grinned as she pushed her sunglasses over her nose and blew Walter a kiss. "Before I go, can you promise me something?"

"Sure." Walter nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "What is it?"

"While I'm gone, don't be paranoid; it doesn't suit you well." Paige reached out for Walter's hand and squeezed it again. "I'm serious; I'd hate to be the reason you can't get any sleep."

"I told you," Walter chuckled, "I'll be fine. We'll _all _be fine. Megan has offered to watch Léana during the day while Ralph's at school, and if I'm in a bind, I'll call Cabe. I promise."

"You better," Paige chuckled and released her husband's hand. "Now, I've really got to go; give Ralph and Léana my love for me." She turned the car and put it into gear.

"I will," Walter stepped away from her car and gave her a thumb's up. "I promise."

"Bye," Paige waved and drove down the alley towards the street as Walter watched her leave LA from where he stood.

When she and her Malibu were out of sight, Walter spun around and walked into the garage, finding Ralph playing a video game with Toby, Sylvester at his blackboard, and Happy at her workstation. But where was Léana? Walter approached the office space of the garage and scanned the area when he heard a loud collision of metals. Everyone froze.

"Walt!" Happy was the first voice that filled the garage as Léana started crying. He turned around and saw her carrying a fussy Léana at arms' length towards him. "How many times do I have to tell you to keep an eye on your kid!?" Happy shouted, "This is the fourth time this month she's touched things she shouldn't be touching, and now I have to start my project all over again!"

Walter pursed his lips as he took Léana off of Happy's hands. "She's just… curious."

"She's lucky she didn't hurt herself with my tools!" Happy retorted with hands on her hips. "Like it or not, Walt, the lower level of the garage is no place for a four-year-old to wonder off on her own. It was cool and all when she was still using a stroller and didn't know how to walk, yet, but now that she's a freaking walking machine, she needs to be monitored more closely – especially if you don't want her to end up in the hospital for messing with our things."

Before Walter could reply, Toby butted into the conversation. "Happy's right, Walt. The office isn't kid-proof. I know we're all used to Paige watching her when she's down here, but since Paige is on her way across the pond, you," Toby paused the game he was playing with Ralph and looked at Walter, "Father Dearest, need to step in and start your very own Daddy Daycare."

"Guys," Walter stepped back and forced a laugh, "for most of the week, Léana's at daycare while we work on our cases. Surely, when she's home, things aren't _too _bad."

"Léana gets into my things," Happy stated quickly as she took a step forward.

"And when Paige is busy cooking, she wanders over to Sly's blackboard and doodles all over the goddamn thing." Toby folded his arms and walked up to Walter as Happy continued to approach him.

"Watch your language," Walter snapped as a force of habit. He knew Paige was sensitive to curse words around Ralph and Léana, and he didn't want things to change merely because she wasn't home.

"Since when do _you_ care about language?" Toby lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Léana.

Léana turned away from Toby and buried her face against Walter's chest.

"Does it matter?" Walter pressed his lips together and circled around to his desk. He placed Léana down on the floor, messed up a Rubik's Cube and handed it to her to play with. "See if you can put all the colors back together by twisting the cube." After she took it out of his hands and started turning the blocks, he patted her small head and then crossed his arms as he returned to Happy and Toby. "Okay, I see your point, but just because she likes to doodle and explore a little, it doesn't mean she should be banned from the office altogether."

"No. It doesn't." Toby took off his hat, combed his hair with his fingers and then dropped his hat back onto his head. "She just needs to be monitored more."

"Um," Sylvester rose his hand and cleared his throat. Walter, Happy and Toby directed their eyes towards the human calculator. "Let's not forget the fact that I've seen her get into Toby's dirty magazines, too."

Both Walter and Happy shot glares at Toby.

"Ixnay on the alkingtay, Sly!" Toby gritted his teeth and took a step backwards. "In my defense, that only happened once. I placed them in a locked drawer since then."

"I thought Paige told you to get rid of them shortly before Léana's birth," Walter was now the one to get snippy.

"Don't worry; she was two when that happened; unless she's a genius, she's not going to remember anything." Toby took another step back and glowered at Sylvester.

"Based on genetics and simple observations," Sylvester pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he walked towards the group, "I'd say there's a 99% chance Léana is a genius."

"What makes you think that, Sly?" Walter blinked and turned his undivided attention to Sylvester. "I mean, I know Léana is smarter than the average four-year-old, but she evokes more emotion than that of a mentally enabled child. She's also more tactile, too."

"Well," Sylvester turned towards Walter's daughter, "for starters…, she's already done with the Rubik's Cube and has grabbed another one off of your desk, Walt."

Walter, Toby, Happy and Sylvester circled around the girl and watched her move the cube around. They blinked. Léana didn't even question her moves. Even Ralph joined everyone, too.

"Is that the first time she's ever played with one?" Toby asked with fascination, and Walter nodded.

"Yeah; it is."

Happy was the next to speak. "Has she ever played Chess or tried solving a math problem?"

"I can't say she has…," Walter mumbled. "When she was two, I thought about testing her IQ, but Paige was afraid Léana would choke on the Chess pieces and asked me to wait until she was older…. I just haven't had time to test her intelligence. I know she likes drawing because she has a doodle pad in the loft she's always using during and after daycare."

"So she doodles instead of socializing with other kids…." Toby muttered. "Interesting."

"About that…," Sylvester's trailing voice caught everyone's attention. "At first, I, too, thought her drawings on my board were simply doodles, and that's what it looks like from a distance, but out of sheer curiosity, I examined one of her doodles after she went off to play tea with Paige a few weeks ago, and because I was so impressed, I started analyzing all of her future drawings as well." Sylvester reached for his phone and pulled up his gallery, bringing up the first photo. "With one glance, Walt," Sylvester showed Walter the picture, "what do you see?"

"A squiggly swirl." Walter shrugged.

"Exactly; that's what I thought, too." Sylvester beamed with excitement. "However, when I walked up to it and examined it more closely, you'll never guess what I found." Sylvester swiped to the next picture, and everyone's eyes popped out of their sockets. Walter shifted his attention to his daughter and then back at the picture.

"That's Morse Code!" Toby exclaimed.

"It's not just Morse Code," Ralph muttered softly as he glanced at his sister.

"It's Fibonacci's Sequence," Ralph, Walter and Sylvester said in unison. All eyes landed on Léana as they observed her getting up and reaching for another cube. She grabbed it and walked up to Walter. "Daddy, can you mix the colors again?"

"Okay. Yeah. Sure." Walter nodded as he bent down and took the cube from his daughter's hands. He mixed it up in different directions, and she watched his hands carefully. When he handed it back to her, she smiled and snatched it from his palm. She plopped back down on the floor and softly hummed to herself as she worked the cube. Several minutes passed as the geniuses silently watched Léana fiddle with the Rubik's Cube. Her movements were slow because her fingers were small, but they were flawless. When she finished, she grinned and presented the final product.

"Done!" She pushed herself up and rose the cube up, placing it in Walter's hands. "Can you change the colors again?"

"I've got an even better idea," Toby said as he picked Léana up and flew her towards Paige's desk. "I'm going to pull up that painting program you like so much on your mom's computer. Okay?"

Léana beamed. "Kay!"

After Toby returned to the group, Sylvester showed them the next picture. "This one was from the other day; it just looks like a really bad circle from afar, but up close," Sly revealed a new picture, "it's the sequence of Pi written in Braille."

"How the hell does she know Morse code and Braille?" Toby scratched his head, and surprisingly, Ralph was the first to answer.

"I was studying Morse code and Braille for pure enjoyment; I caught her looking at my books when I came home from school, and she said she liked the pictures. I really didn't know what she had meant, seeing as there's no artistic value in Morse Code and Braille, so I didn't really put much thought into it; I thought she was just being…" His voice trailed.

"Being what?" Happy raised an eyebrow as Ralph clamped his lips shut.

Ralph didn't answer.

Toby smirked and crossed his arms. "Cat got your tongue?"

"I plea the fifth." Ralph said quickly, running his hand through his hair.

"No. Go on. I want to hear this." Walter's eyebrow lifted. "Being _what_, Ralph?"

The teenager caved and spoke quickly. "I just thought she was being an annoying sister; that's all."

"Big brothers," Toby grinned and touched Ralph's shoulder, "gotta love them!"

"Based on what I've observed," Sylvester pointed towards Léana and then looked at Walter, "your daughter's intelligence specializes in at least mathematics and creativity, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot more to her intellect than we currently know."

Walter's face contorted. "Art is nonsensical, though."

"Maybe to you, 197," Toby patted Walter on the back, "but obviously, your little genius takes after Paige. Not only does Léana seem to understand Morse code and Braille and mathematical sequences, but she's able to apply them to artistic principles. In both the Fibonacci's Sequence and Pi doodles, she displays a Mosaic art form, creating a larger image with smaller, fragmented pieces. Hence the Morse code and Braille. It would seem that Léana not only has a high IQ but also a high EQ like Sly. It's rare but not impossible – especially considering whom her parents are. It's interesting though…."

"What?" Walter blinked.

"Léana doesn't seem to understand what she's doing…. It's like she sees the sequences and is able to write them out in artistic as well as geometrical fashion, but she's not able to comprehend what she's doing. To her, she's probably just doing art, but we know better. We _now _know her doodles are definitely more than what meets the eye. And with the Rubik's Cube…. She just wanted you, Walt, to mix the colors again."

"So?" Walter cocked an eyebrow. "That doesn't prove anything."

"I can disprove your self-doubt, 197." Toby tsked and pranced off to Léana. He said a few words to her, and she hopped off the chair and ran to Walter, grinning ear to ear. Walter eyed Toby as the shrink walked back to them before bending down to see what his daughter wanted to say.

"What is it, Léana?"

"Uncle Toby wants me to tell you how I put the colors back," Léana smiled as she pointed to the Rubik's Cube still in Walter's hand.

"Okay." Walter ignored the smug grin Toby was giving him as he dropped the cube in his daughter's small hands. "How?"

"I watched the colors as they moved, and then I remember how they moved so I moved them backwards until the colors were together again." Léana beamed as she twisted the cube a little bit and then fixed it. She looked at Toby. "Can I go back to Mommy's puter now?"

"Sure, kid." Toby offered Léana a high-five, and she slammed her hands against Toby's palms before running back to Paige's computer. The grin he was wearing had no comparison. He turned to Walter and said, "Léana just proved my point; when we all do Rubik's Cubes, our system focuses on strategy and some basic patterns; Léana's, on the other hand, seems to center around colors – something artistic. She sees colors move so that's what she focuses on. From observation alone, her brain seems to pick up on art integrated with sequences and systems."

"Having a high IQ," Sylvester continued with pride, "would explain what we just witnessed as well as her learning curve and her high level of curiosity. Her highly established EQ would be the reason why she cries a lot and loves to talk with us and play tea with Paige."

Toby cut the human calculator off and glanced at Walter. "I'd really like to see her drawing book sometime."

"Perhaps sometime after Paige gets back from her trip." Walter ran his hand through his hair. "I'd like to know what Paige thinks first. You know how we don't like your psychobabble."

"Oh, I know it all too well," Toby sighed. "All right; I'll wait." As he took off his hat, he smirked. "The fact that your daughter, Walt, is an ambivert as opposed to an introvert like you or an extrovert like Paige is highly intriguing. Basically, Léana has what I like to call selective social skills; she's able to socialize around those with whom she is comfortable, but at the same time, she prefers solitude when she's surrounded by people she'd rather avoid."

Before Walter could respond, a loud clash sounded from the back of the garage. Walter's eyes immediately found Paige's desk, but there was no little girl sitting in the chair. Damn. Not again.

"Daddy!" Léana yelled from the back, "I touched your thingy, and it fell!"

"Definitely not dirty at all," Toby said with a poker face and added, "We should right that one down."

Walter ignored Toby as he bolted to the back of the garage to find his daughter sitting on the floor next to his most recent rocket project with a bunch of nuts and bolts piled around her. Walter immediately picked her up and walked her away from the rocket and tools as Ralph and Sylvester started picking up the mess.

Just seven days, he kept telling himself. Just seven days.

Toby and Happy approached him, but he didn't pay them any mind as he placed Léana on the floor and gently gripped her shoulders. "Léana," Walter tried to be as stern as possible, "you know you're not supposed to be back here without an adult present."

"I know…," she looked down at the ground and stuck out her bottom lip.

"There are dangerous things in this part of the garage, and you could get hurt if you're not careful." Walter pulled her into his arms and spoke softly. "Do you want that?"

"No…," she shook her head and sniffed. "Are you mad at me?"

Happy was nodding, and Toby was shaking his head as Walter glanced at them. "No," Walter turned his attention back to his daughter. "I'm not. Just don't do it again, okay?"

"Kay," her voice dragged as her shoulders slumped. She yawned, claiming she was tired.

Walter picked her up into his arms again and held her close as he rose to his feet. "I'm going to take her upstairs for her morning nap; Paige'll kill me if I don't stick to Léana's routine."

"What Paige doesn't know won't hurt her," Toby sang as Happy elbowed him.

Walter ignored the shrink as he walked past Sly and Ralph picking up the nuts and bolts. He muttered a thank you to them and headed for the stairs to take Léana to her bedroom. His mind was spinning at the thought of his daughter being a mentally enabled person like him. And yet, Léana was very social in the garage like Paige. She was emotional like Paige too. Sometimes too emotional.

As Walter kicked the door open and gently placed Léana into her bed for her mid-morning nap, her small eyelids fluttered open. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Walter smiled and leaned down to kiss Léana's forehead. "Yeah. Same here for you, too."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

I chose to use Léana again because I love that name so much!

Stay tuned for Part 2! (This will only be a 2 part fic)


	14. Just Seven Days (2)

**WriterFreak001: **

Aaaaand here is Part 2! :)

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**Title** | Just Seven Days

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige is out of town so Walter and Paige's daughter, Léana, asks her father if he would join her tea party. (One-shot requested by screamfan1234 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**Just Seven Days**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 2**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Three days had passed since Paige left for England, and everything, for the most part, was going rather smoothly for Walter. Other than for a few things, not much of the usual routine changed; though, because the company's liaison was temporarily out of commission, Scorpion had to make due with Cabe's social habits. He wasn't as good as Paige at her job, but he was better than everyone else. When Léana wasn't at daycare and when the team wasn't working on a case, Walter would keep a special eye on his daughter, monitoring her habits and behavior. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen her unique understanding of the world before… He _should _have recognized _something_, but because Léana was a lot more social than Ralph was as a boy, Walter assumed she was normal like her mother.

After Walter tucked Léana into bed and promised to wake her up when Paige calls, he checked in on Ralph (who was busy working on his next science project for his school's upcoming science fair) before making his way downstairs to tinker with his newest rocket project. The one he had been working on for the Kármán Line Prize about six years ago didn't win the contest so when another opportunity came up, Walter was determined to work harder and win the cash award for his sister's benefit. She was struggling to stay positive because she had recently lost full mobility in her legs and had to start using a wheelchair to move from place to place. She hardly visited the garage anymore, but when she did, it was usually to see Sylvester or Léana; however, Walter still visited Megan every Friday.

By midnight, Walter decided to take a break from his rocket and check in with Ralph; he knew what it was like to get sucked into a project and lose track of time. Ralph was mostly good about getting to bed by midnight, but like every genius, he had his moments where he'd forget to take care of himself. In spite of Walter's opinions on Ralph's education, Paige was adamant about her son going to school with other students his age; she believed attending college or a university at such a young age would stunt his still-growing social skills – so, because Walter actually liked having sex with his wife, he didn't argue with her decisions. After all, when it came to Ralph, Paige was in charge. She made that point very clear when she found out Walter had let Ralph skip school to attend a convention at UCLA. It wasn't one of the smartest parenting moves Walter made, but it was definitely a learning experience. Moral of the story: don't upset Paige. Plain and simple.

Walter climbed up to the loft and pushed Ralph's bedroom door open to find him still working on his science fair project. "Hey," Walter spoke softly as he tapped on the door, "time to wrap things up for the night. You've got school in the morning."

"I know," Ralph answered without looking at Walter. "I have a few more things to do and then I'll be done for the night."

Walter knew that response all too well. A few things usually morphed into many things and would normally turn a ten minute bender to an all-nighter. Paige wouldn't appreciate him letting Ralph stay up later than his bed time. "Ralph," Walter's stern voice caught the young genius's attention, "Now."

The teen sighed. "Kay. Fine." He put down his screwdriver and turned off his desk lamp before pushing his chair back. "Has Mom called yet?"

"Not yet; she will, though." Walter was sure of it; she's called every night since she left – tonight shouldn't be any different. "I'm going back downstairs to work on a few things on my computer so when your mom _does _call and say goodnight to you, I expect you'll be in bed, hm?"

Ralph nodded. "Yeah. I will be."

"Okay." Walter gave his step-son a small smile and closed the door before quickly checking on Léana. She was fast asleep with her thumb in her mouth and her other hand clenching her favorite blanket. He grinned and stepped away from her door towards the stairs.

Walter never thought he would see the day when he'd actually be raising a child of his own, but in spite of all of his doubts of becoming a father, he wouldn't trade it for anything. He remembered the day his wife had told him she was pregnant, and his first reaction was a mixture of shock, confusion and fear. They had only been married for three months when Paige had showed him the pregnancy test; he thought he had had more time to prepare himself for future children, but Mother Nature had other plans, obviously.

Throughout the course of Paige's pregnancy, Walter experienced an array of emotions he wasn't used to – love, being one of them. There was no question he loved his family. Meeting Paige had shown him that the concept of love was more than just junk science – it might not be quantifiable, but the feelings were evident. The existence of love had showed him that facts weren't always statistics or textbook knowledge, and they were certainly not always universal. Facts that personally applied to him (the fact that he had a sister named Megan, the fact that he had an IQ of 197, the fact that he started a company called Scorpion) did not apply to everybody.

His _version _of love was certainly not the same as normal people, but the more he spent with Paige before they had married, the more he realized that romantic affection had much more power on the human being than he had originally anticipated. His habits changed when Paige entered his life, and he did silly things to try and impress her. He also experienced physical changes whenever she was near him and did irrational things like celebrating holidays for her sheer benefit. At the time, he convinced himself he was doing all of those things for the betterment of the company and the team, but he eventually came to the conclusion that he had more than just a physical attraction to Paige.

Who knew one dinner date would eventually lead him to being a husband and a father?

He certainly didn't.

As Walter turned on his computer, his Surface Pro beeped with an incoming Skype call. He was quick to grab it and answer it via video call. Paige was the first to speak.

"Hey," she smiled as she stretched her arms like a cat. "Everything going all right?" She still was wearing her black, silky PJs (his favorite ones) as she yawned loudly.

"Peachy," Walter gave her a thumb's up and smiled. "How's Europe?"

"Wonderful," Paige grinned as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun. "But it would be much more enjoyable if I had my family with me."

"Well…, maybe when Léana's a little older, we can take a trip to England together." Walter shrugged; he wasn't really fond of traveling, but if it was what Paige wanted, he was willing to be a little more flexible.

"Really?"

"If it's what you want," Walter chose his words carefully; he didn't want to make a promise he might not be able to keep, but he didn't want her radiant smile to fade either. Quickly, he changed the subject. "Sleep well, last night?"

"Oh yes," Paige laughed lightly. "Beds over here are comfier than I anticipated. Then again, nothing can compare to _our _bed."

Walter gulped and pursed his lips. "Is that, um, is that your way of tempting me to buy a ticket and fly to England?"

"Is it working?" Paige scrunched up her nose and giggled before reaching over to grab a mug of what Walter guessed to be coffee.

"Maybe a little," Walter's lips curled to a smile. "Then again, I'd have to buy two other tickets as well because after the other day, I doubt anyone in the cyclone would be willing to watch Ralph and Léana for a few days."

"Are you talking about last Saturday when Léana got into Happy's things?" Paige cocked a brow and sipped from her mug. "Or something else?"

"Well, there was _that_, and on Sunday, while I was working on some things at my computer, she wondered over to Toby's desk, pulled out one of his anatomy books and started coloring in the diagrams with her markers…." Walter scratched the side of his face. "I replaced Toby's book, of course, but he wasn't really happy when he first found out…, and of course, I was the one who got the earful."

Paige giggled. "I hate to say this, babe, but I'm on Toby's side this time; you should have been watching her more carefully. She's a curious little girl who seems to think everything in the garage is hers."

"Yeah. I'm starting to realize that…." Walter hated to admit it, but he didn't seem to know his daughter as well as he thought. "Do you know why she'd want to touch things that aren't hers?"

Paige shrugged. "Attention, maybe? When I'm around, she's not that nosey, but I play with her to stunt her curiosity a little bit. Perhaps you could try to be more attentive?"

Walter pressed his lips together and nodded. He knew his wife was right; the more he thought about it, the more he realized he barely spent time with Léana. Paige was always giving her the attention she wanted, and he did say goodnight to her and hold her at times, but for the most part, he only true times he seemed to pay her any mind was when she was getting into things she shouldn't be getting into. He was the one who usually picked her up and carried her away from various things, but he hardly played with her. The games she wanted to play were things Walter's mind couldn't stimulate. Tea parties, dress up, dolls… Paige was the more suited parent for those things. Walter never really had to worry about Léana's curiosity because Paige was always there to monitor their daughter; he was beginning to think he had failed as a parent. He didn't seem to know their daughter, nor was he able to connect to her more creative side.

"Hey," Paige's soft voice cut him from his thoughts, "don't beat yourself up, honey. Being a parent is a learning experience; trust me, I definitely didn't have it all together raising Ralph. So sometimes it takes time, okay?"

"Okay," Walter felt a little bit better, but there was a tinge of guilt residing in the pit of his stomach. He made a mental note to be far more attentive to Léana as a father; the other day, Léana reminded him how much she loved him so he must be doing _something _right, but he could be a better father. He grew up not really knowing his father; he didn't want the same for Léana. Nor Ralph (though, to be technical, Ralph really doesn't know his biological father either). "I'm going to let you speak to Ralph and Léana now."

Paige smiled. "Music to my ears. I miss my babies."

"They miss you too," Walter muttered as he rose from his desk and made his way to the stairs. "Léana keeps asking if she can Skype you, but when I explained the time difference between England and America, she didn't seem to understand…"

"What's wrong?" Paige's voice brought Walter back to reality as his mind almost drifted off. "You seem concerned about something."

Walter stopped walking midway up the stairs and leaned against the railing, holding his Surface Pro in front of him. "Well, I told you the other day how we came to the conclusion that Léana was a genius, yes?"

"Yep. Go on."

"I just don't understand something; if she's as smart as we think she is, how is she not able to understand something as simple as time?" Walter cocked an eyebrow and bit his lip. "It's mindboggling."

"From what you told me, Léana is a very visual person – hence her doodles, the Rubik's Cube and her heightened curiosity. I've noticed that she loves looking at pictures, and I forgot to tell you this before I left for England, but Susan, her daycare sitter, spotted her French braiding her hair; when Susan asked her how she learned to French braid, Léana told her she saw me do it once to my hair. Once. I never taught her; she just figured it out after observing me – that was the first time I realized she might be mentally enabled like you and Ralph." Paige smiled and wiped a fallen tear from her eye. "Anyway," she took another sip of her drink, "what I'm trying to say is that she might understand it better if she sees it visually; show her a radial clock and move around the hands or something. Something tells me she'll understand if she sees it."

"Perhaps you're right," Walter rubbed his chin. "She might be too young to understand everything she knows; she may know it but not be able to comprehend it without some sort of demonstration… and if that's the case, there's no telling how intelligent she is until she's older."

"We can talk more about our daughter's intellect when I come home; I want to say goodnight to my babies." Paige laughed as Walter started ascending the stairs again. "But first," she picked up her Surface Pro and carried it with her as she slid out of bed. Walter raised an eyebrow as the tablet was placed down on a dresser. He eyed her suspiciously as she turned around to fish for something in her bags. She pulled out a pair of undergarments, jeans, a camisole and a sweater. "I need to get changed if I want to make it to the tour in half an hour."

Walter reached the balcony but didn't go into the loft. He had a bad feeling about what he was about to see. She peeled off her top, and as much as he felt like he was supposed to look away, he didn't. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she chuckled as she and her bare chest turned to face him. He instantly flicked his eyes away from the screen. "Are you…," she paused and laughed, "embarrassed?"

He glanced at her as she was pushing off her silky pants; she was shamelessly standing buck naked within the screen, and he found his situation very awkward. "This is… mildly inappropriate…." He scratched his head, and his ears burned. He shouldn't be watching his wife in such a compromising situation over Skype, but he found it incredibly hard to look away.

"I am your wife," a wicked smile found Paige's lips. "Nothing about this should be inappropriate."

She slipped on her clean underwear and clasped her bra over her breasts. "I feel like I'm watching porn."

"Don't be such a baby," Paige rolled her eyes and hopped into her jeans. "Nothing you haven't seen before."

"Still, it's weird…." Secretly, Walter appreciated the visual as he watched his wife change clothes over Skype (as strange as it _did_ feel), but he also found it tantalizing because there wasn't any physical satisfaction to accompany the visuals (something he greatly looked forward to the moment she returned home from England).

"But efficient," Paige smirked before sliding her camisole over her head.

Walter opened his mouth to rebut her statement, but she did have a point (and of course, she would throw out his favorite word to get him to agree with her). "That… is… true."

After she pulled on her sweater, she told him she was ready to see Ralph and Léana. As Walter opened the door to the loft, Paige called his name. He stopped moving. "Hm?"

"Never compare what I just did to pornography ever again; give me more credit. I've got _way _more class."

That she most certainly did. "Then what would you call it?"

Paige smiled. "Visual gratification."

Walter shrugged. "Can't argue with that." He approached Ralph's bedroom and quietly told his wife he was going to give the computer to Ralph. She grinned and nodded as Walter pushed Ralph's door open. The teen was in bed, but he wasn't sleeping. He was reading out of a textbook. "Hey," Walter raised an eyebrow as he stepped into his step-son's bedroom. "I thought I told you I wanted you in bed asleep by the time your mother calls."

"Technically," Ralph didn't look up from his book, "you said you wanted me _in _bed; you never said anything about sleeping."

Oh boy. Ralph was becoming more like Walter day by day. Walter pinched his nose as Paige laughed. "He's got you there, Walter."

"He… most… certainly… does…." Walter pinched the bridge of his nose and walked towards the young genius. "Here," he handed Ralph the computer. "Make it quick so I can wake up your sister and give her the computer."

"Kay." Ralph nodded.

Walter stepped out of the room and sighed. He was beginning to sympathize with his parents; Ralph, if anything, was exactly like Walter as an adolescent, and even though Walter could intellectually stimulate Ralph, a teen was a teen in spite of intellect. When Walter was Ralph's age, he was a tad rebellious – only did the bare minimum on the farm (mostly because his father would often catch him wondering off in the field, doing something seemingly outlandish like observing flight patterns of birds or calculating the angle of the Sun hitting the earth to improve plant growth), and he found loopholes in everything (just as Ralph had done). He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was certainly taken off his guard. He was getting a small – no… an infinitesimal – glimpse of what his parents _might_ have gone through while raising him…. (But he wouldn't dare admit to anyone, let alone himself, that _he _might have purposely made life difficult for them.)

As Ralph spoke to Paige, Walter quietly crept to Léana's bedroom and pushed on the door. She was still fast asleep. He slowly walked to her bed and bent down to touch her soft face. "Léana?" His voice was as quiet as a whisper. She stirred and then rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists as she stretched languorously. He picked her up in his arms, and she casually rested her head against his shoulder; he could feel her small breaths brushing against his neck. She had fallen asleep again. He smiled but didn't bother trying to wake her up again.

With Léana in his arms, he stealthily walked back to Ralph's room, signaling the teen to wrap things up. Walter waited in the doorway as Ralph wished his mother well. As Walter shifted Léana's weight onto his left arm, he reached for the tablet once Ralph was done and stepped into the light so Paige could see Léana. Walter silently told Ralph to get to bed and go to sleep before sauntering to Léana's room. He sat down in the rocking chair at the corner of her room after setting the tablet down to turn on a lamp and then he gently shook Léana awake. He had thought about letting her sleep, but he knew he would never hear the end of it if he didn't wake her up again to talk to Paige.

"Léana," Paige softly sang as the little girl's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hi baby," Paige waved as Walter brought the tablet closer to Léana.

Léana yawned. "I miss you, Mommy."

"I know," Paige smiled, touching her heart. "But I'll be back Saturday night."

"But that's a long time away!" Léana was on the verge of tears.

"Statistically speaking," Walter was the first to speak. He glanced at Paige and then looked into his daughter's misty brown eyes. "The time between now and Saturday is infinitesimal compared to the amount of time some children have to wait to see their deployed parents again." Léana blinked. He pursed his lips and looked at Paige. His wife encouraged him to try again. He took a minute to figure out a way to show Léana how far away Saturday was. He glanced at the ceiling and spotted the glowing solar system he and Paige had put up shortly after Léana was born. He gazed at it for seconds. And suddenly, his eyes popped. That's it! He found his daughter's eyes again and grinned. "You know how the sky goes dark every night?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Well," Walter bit his lip, "tomorrow is Wednesday, right?" (He knew it was already Wednesday, but for Léana's sake, he forewent technicalities.)

"I guess." Léana shrugged.

"So…, uh…, the days of the week are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Since tomorrow is Wednesday that would mean today is Tuesday. Do you follow?"

She nodded again.

"Each day has a night sky. So… there's Wednesday's night sky," he pointed to his pointer finger, "Thursday's night sky," he pointed to the next finger, "Friday's night sky and Saturday's night sky. That's one…," he returned to his index finger, "two… three… four… Four night skies. Four fingers. Four days. After tomorrow night, there will only be three night skies left. Your mom," he looked at Paige and smiled before returning to Léana, "will be home by the last night sky," he tapped his pinky.

Léana looked at her short fingers and yawned. "Mommy will be home four moons from now."

"Exactly," Walter grinned. He felt proud of himself as he watched Léana's sad face morph into a happy smile.

Léana returned her attention to the tablet. "Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?" Paige was wiping away tears again.

"Why you crying?"

Walter had known Paige long enough to recognize her 'happy tears' versus her 'sad tears.' He knew why she was crying – she always cried at the strangest things.

"I just…," Paige wiped another tear and smiled, "miss you guys so much." (Walter knew the real reason but decided to keep it to himself.)

"Mommy?"

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Do you see the Moon?"

Paige lied. "Yes, honey. I do."

"Good." Léana smiled as she yawned and stretched her arms. "That means we're only a moon away from each other."

"You're right, baby." Paige's nose wrinkled as she chuckled. "You're absolutely right, baby."

"Mommy?"

"Hm?"

"Sing me to sleep." Léana mumbled as she nestled against Walter's shoulder again.

"Of course," Paige's lips stretched ear to ear as she sang the song she always sang for Léana at night. The song was from their daughter's favorite children's book, _Love You Forever. _Even Walter found the tune soothing to his ears (as he did _anytime _his wife sang). "'I love you forever,' 'I'll like you for always,' 'As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.'"

Walter glanced at Léana. "She's out like a light," he whispered, mindlessly holding her closer to him.

"I'm not surprised," Paige lowered her voice. "She was always a fast sleeper." She smiled. "By the way, Walter," Paige sat down on the bed in her hotel room and hugged a pillow, "your explanation to Léana was perfect."

"Well," Walter smirked, "I learn from the best."

There was a knock on Paige's door. "Well, that's my cue to leave. I'll call you tomorrow – _my _tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Be safe, Walter." Paige blew him a kiss. "I love you. Bye!"

"I," Walter started to speak, but the call ended. _…love you too, Paige. _

He sighed and cursed himself for his poor articulation skills as he leaned his head back against the rocker and closed his eyes. He was too comfortable to move so he held Léana close to him, kissed the top of her head and eventually drifted off to sleep.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

So… this is going to be a THREE PART fanfic. I didn't anticipate the second chapter to be so long, but I PROMISE, Part 3 will be the end of it! X)

After I finish up this short story, I will be writing a short (hopefully short) one-shot. Afterwards, I'll resume _Poaching_.

Let me know what you think!


	15. Just Seven Days (3)

**WriterFreak001: **

Alas, the final part. Enjoy! :)

* * *

**Title** | Just Seven Days

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige is out of town so Walter and Paige's daughter, Léana, asks her father if he would join her tea party. (One-shot requested by screamfan1234 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Just Seven Days**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 3**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Walter spent the next few days, when he wasn't busy with work, engaging more with Léana, wanting to learn more about her intellect. He gave her a complex math problem the other day, and she solved it with ease, but she didn't understand the mathematical concepts of the equation. When he asked her how she figured out the answer, she shrugged and simply said, "It just looked right." Her intelligence was incredible but strange because he had never encountered someone who had a similar mind like hers. When he was her age, his math proficiency was exceptional. He not only mentally solved problems, but he was also able to understand everything he was doing. Léana, however, did not.

She knew Pi as though it was inscribed inside her mind, but she didn't know what it was for. She knew the Fibonacci's Sequence but had no clue what it was. But somehow she knew that Pi was associated with circles and Fibonacci's Sequence was related to spirals. Walter's theory? She must have seen pictures of them on either his or Sylvester's desk and paired them with their respective shapes. It was the most likely scenario. He knew his daughter didn't know how to read yet, but she _did _understand shapes and colors. It was uncanny, really. Léana's mind, at best, linked intellectual concepts with normalcy. Because she loved colors and shapes, she was _almost_ like every other child her age, but because she could pair – dare Walter ever say it – _art _with intellect inside her mind, she was very, _very _extraordinary.

(Walter had to believe that Léana's aptitude and childlike behavior had everything to do with whom her parents are. She was literally a combination of IQ and EQ – a genetic phenomenon, no doubt.)

Friday came and went quickly, and when Saturday arrived, it was a lazy day in the garage. Cabe stopped by and claimed there were no cases for the day before heading off to HQ for a meeting. Since there weren't any cases, Walter gave everyone the day off, telling them to spend it as they pleased. To his surprise, Toby, Happy and Sylvester packed up and left within five minutes. He had half expected them to stay and work on their personal projects, but apparently they all had other plans of their own. Oh well.

"Daddy?" Léana's soft voice brought Walter out of his thoughts as she climbed into his lap. He naturally wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling onto the hard floor.

"Yeah?" Walter's attention shifted from his computer to his daughter as she sat and stared at him with her big, brown eyes.

"Do you wanna join my tea party? Mommy normally plays, but she's still gone." Léana blinked and stuck out her bottom lip but never left her father's gaze. "Please?"

"Um…," Walter gulped. "Sure."

"Really?!" Léana's eyes popped open as she smiled ear to ear.

"Y-Yeah," Walter stammered, unsure if this was going to be a good idea.

Léana climbed back down and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the small floor space between the front of his desk and Paige's. How Léana had managed to set her tea set up without him noticing was a mystery. She pointed to the floor and ordered him to sit down next to her stuffed scorpion (a gift he and Paige had gotten her for her second birthday). She sat to his left, and a stuffed unicorn (Paige's most recent Christmas gift, not his) was sitting across from him.

She hummed a cheerful tune as she picked up an empty plastic teapot and poured nothing – _nothing _– into the cup in front of him. She continued to pour for her other _guests_ as he tried to figure out what the purpose of this tea party was. He didn't understand why little girls pouring imaginary tea was such an exciting pastime for them. What was the point?

Léana picked up her mug and sipped air. "Daddy, how does your tea taste?"

Walter thought about bringing up the irrationality of her statement but decided to keep it to himself. "Oh. Um," he picked up the coffee cup and looked inside. "There's nothing in here," the words were out before he knew he had said them.

"That's because it's pretend!" Léana giggled and fake-sipped more tea.

"Oh. I see." Walter cocked an eyebrow and placed the mug to his lips. He mimicked his daughter's actions and pretended to sip tea from his cup.

"You like it?"

"Mhmm," was all he would say on the matter. He feared that if he mentioned how he couldn't 'like' something that didn't exist, he would upset her and knowing how she sometimes threw her tantrums, upsetting Léana was the _last _thing he wanted to do.

"Mr. Scorpion and Sparkles liked it too," Léana smiled. "What's that, Sparkles? Of course there's more!" Léana leaned to her left and poured more 'tea' into her stuffed unicorn's plastic cup before looking at her other companion next to Walter. "You want some more too, Mr. Scorpion?" She giggled. "Okay. Coming right up." Léana pushed herself to her feet, circled around the tea set and dropped to her knees next to the scorpion. She hummed as she poured imaginary tea into its mug. "Daddy?" Léana jumped to her feet and climbed over Walter's lap, plopping herself down into the space between his crisscrossed legs. She popping brown eyes found his as she leaned her head backwards and stared at him. "Mr. Scorpion and Sparkles think you should have more tea too."

"Oh?" Walter blinked, knowing full well that her stuffed animals weren't actually thinking that. "They do?" He tried emulating Paige and suspending his disbelief.

"Yup," she beamed. "Want some more?"

"S-sure."

Léana grinned and poured a bunch of nothing into his cup. He picked it up, brought the cup to his lips and hummed. "That's good," he lied, placing his cup back down. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Léana…."

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Let's have some actual tea." Walter suggested; he thought that if she observed him making tea, then it might spark some interest in chemistry for her. Making tea was technically a science, and he wanted some way to bond with her other than conversation. He wanted to be able to show her his world and help her understand it just as he helped Ralph. Plus, drinking _real _tea would make him feel less ridiculous.

"Really?!" Her eyes popped wide open as she threw her head back again and stared into Walter's eyes.

"Sure." Walter smiled. She twisted around and tightly hugged him. Walter wrapped one arm around her tiny body as he pushed himself upward. He carried her to the kitchen and then had her sit down in her favorite chair, telling her to wait while he gathered everything he needed from upstairs. He brought down two beakers, a portable Bunsen burner, forceps, a tripod and wire gauze. After placing the lab equipment on the table, he grabbed two teabags from the cabinet. "Okay, so… I'll show you how I make tea, but I guarantee you, if you ask your mother to make tea, she's not going to make it the same way I do… and… never touch my things," he pointed to his equipment, "without permission. In fact," Walter suddenly realized her level of curiosity might provoke her to touch the flame, "do me a favor and sit on your hands, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because this equipment is dangerous. Grown-ups only." Walter explained as she wedged her hands underneath her bottom. He was about to turn on the Bunsen burner but then remembered something else. "Be right back," Walter disappeared to his workspace, grabbed two sets of goggles and scrambled back to his daughter. He placed the smaller pair over Léana's eyes and slid the other ones over his head. "Safety first."

"Why?"

"Because… you don't want to get hurt."

"Okay," Léana pursed her small lips and nodded.

Walter placed the Bunsen burner outside of Léana's reach and covered it with the tripod. He then carefully set the wire gauze over the tripod before taking both beakers and filling them with water from the sink. While he left one of the beakers on the counter, he set one on top of the gauze. "The first thing you need for making tea is hot water. Some – well, actually, most – people either use the stove or the microwave to heat up their water, but, as you know, things are… different at home." He pointed to all of the lab equipment pieces and told his daughter what they and their functions were before turning on the Bunsen burner. "Now, the Bunsen burner creates fire using the gas below," he pointed to the canister fueling the fire. "And this flame is what we're going to use to heat up the water."

A few minutes passed, and the water was starting to boil. "Those bubbles indicate that the water is hot. When water boils – aka the bubbles – it means the water has exceeded its boiling point, 100°C."

"What's sell-see-us?"

Walter smiled. "Celsius – C-E-L-S-I-U-S – is one of the three units measuring temperature. The one most people use is Fahrenheit, but little do people know, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit's unit system is flawed… messed up. He didn't account for the impurities… um… the unwanted stuff… found in water. Said impurities gave him inaccurate results, and that is the abridged version as to why Celsius – in my opinion – is more reliable than Fahrenheit. The third unit is Kelvin but hardly anybody uses Kelvin these days. Anyway," he paused to breathe, "0°C – based on distilled water… um… clean water – is water's freezing point. Water starts turning to ice at 0°C. At 100°C, as I said, water begins to boil, and the steam," he pointed to the plume rising above the boiling water, "is water in its gas state." He picked up the forceps and clamped the beaker, removing it from the flame and placing it on the counter before grabbing the second beaker. "We'll talk more about the physical states of water another time."

"Okay." Léana giggled as Walter placed the second beaker over the flame.

While the second beaker heated up, he grabbed the forceps and picked up the first beaker, bringing it to the table. "Now, this tiny bag," he held up the bag of tea leaves, "is filled with flavored tea leaves. The bag keeps the leaves inside while the water consumes the flavor." He placed the bag in the water. "See how the water is already changing colors?"

"Ooooo." Léana leaned a little closer. "Magic."

"No." Walter said a little too quickly. "Science. Magic doesn't exist."

"Why not?"

"Magic is all about bending the laws of Science – which cannot be done. Granted, there are supernatural phenomena, but that's another explanation for another day. Long story short," Walter stirred the first beaker, "magic doesn't exist."

"Oh." Léana mumbled. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Mommy says your smart… very, _very _smart. You study a lot. Right?" She placed her arms on the table and pressed her chin on top of her fingers. "Right?"

"More or less, why?"

"Does all of your smart stuff come from books you read?" Léana started kicking underneath the table as Walter took the second beaker off of the tripod and turned off the burner.

"Most… some of it is innate knowledge, but most of it is from external sources…." Walter's voice trailed, wondering what his daughter was trying to get at.

"So that means you read stuff on magic?"

"To learn more about alchemy, yeah. I did read some things on magic." Most of it was just common sense, but she didn't need to know that. He put the second tea bag in the second beaker and then placed two paper towels over the beakers so they could steep.

Silence.

"Daddy?"

"What is it?"

"Why read about something you think don't exist?"

Walter opened his mouth but didn't have an immediate reply. "Uh…. Curiosity?"

Léana smiled. "I think magic exists."

His daughter's statement sparked his interest. "Why do you think that, Léana?"

"Mommy said so." Léana beamed.

"And did Mommy tell you why she thinks magic exists?" Walter cocked a brow and sat down next to Léana before pulling her into his lap.

Léana started playing with his tie. "Yep."

"What did she say?"

"Not telling!" Léana giggled, pulling on his tie. "Mommy told me it's a secret." She then placed her small hands on his face and smooshed his cheeks towards his lips.

"Oh?" His voice was muffled through his fish-like lips. He made a note to ask Paige about it later. Now that his daughter had said something about it, he had to know. "Is that so?"

"Mhmm!" She pressed her forehead against his and touched her stubby nose to the tip of his honker. With one hand firmly wrapped around her middle, Walter collected her small hands in his palm and brought them to his lips. "Mommy's coming home tonight."

"She is," Walter kissed her little fingers again.

"Can we call Mommy?"

"As much as I would like to, your mother is busy getting ready to leave. Calling her would only hamper her." With Léana still in his arms, he rose to his feet and then placed her on the edge of the table. "Come on, let's go see what your brother is up to upstairs; then, we'll go out for ice cream."

"Yay!" Léana exclaimed as Walter picked her back up, hoisted her up onto his shoulders and then carried her up the stairs to the loft.

The beakers of tea were left, forgotten.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Paige pushed open the door to the garage and quietly stepped inside, expecting to find her family impatiently waiting for her in the lower level of the garage. What she found, however, was much more precious. Walter was sitting in the center of the couch with his eyes closed and his head resting on the back of the sofa. Ralph was next to him, sleeping against his right shoulder and Léana was curled in Walter's lap with her small cheek pressed against his chest. Walter had a protective arm wrapped around their daughter. Paige smiled.

She slowly walked up to the bunch and casually brushed her long fingers through her husband's curly hair, stirring him awake. His eyes fluttered open and found hers before she knelt down and greeted him with a sweet kiss. "Hey," she kissed him again. "Long time, no see."

"Likewise," he whispered as she carefully lifted Léana into her arms.

Walter shook Ralph awake. The teen stirred and stretched as he opened his eyes. Paige walked over to her son and gave him a side hug. He greeted her with a tired smile, welcomed her home and then floated up the steps towards the loft.

"He's been working on his science fair project almost all day. So naturally, he's tired." Walter explained as Paige kissed the top of Léana's head and leaned against her husband's shoulder. "Long flight?"

"Too long."

"Well, you're home now. That's all that matters." Walter muttered quickly pecked her temple.

"Yes." She smiled wearily before whispering Léana's name. The girl stirred and squirmed a little in Paige's arms to get more comfortable, but she didn't wake up. Paige kissed her soft cheek and turned to Walter. "Let's get her to bed and then we can talk."

"Okay," Walter nodded. "I'll finish up down here; you go on up."

"Sounds like a plan," Paige grinned before giving him a quick kiss. She strolled away from her husband and sauntered up the stairs, careful not to wake her daughter up. God, she missed her family. As entertaining and educating as England was, she hated leaving her babies for too long. A week was just too long for her. Skype did soften the blow but not being able to kiss her husband and children goodnight was painful; she wasn't used to such a distance.

Paige pushed Léana's door open and tiptoed inside. She gently placed her baby girl in her bed, tucked her in and smothered her pudgy face with lots and lots of soft kisses. "I love you, baby." Paige caressed Léana's cheek and kissed her forehead once more before heading out of the girl's bedroom. She walked through the loft and found Walter waiting for her in their bedroom. The covers were already peeled back, and he was stripped to his boxers, making his way from the bathroom to her. She met him halfway and closed the distance between them with a hard kiss on the mouth.

"You have no idea how much I missed you guys," Paige muttered as she threw her arms around her husband and held him close to her. "Seven days felt like an eternity."

"I think I know the feeling," Walter chuckled as his fingers absentmindedly pulled at the lip of her blouse. "How was your trip?"

"Educational," Paige shrugged. "But like I said the other night: the experience would have been much better if I had my family there to share it with."

"Maybe someday," Walter mused and leaned down to kiss her again.

Paige decided to change the subject. "So… how were the kids? They didn't give you any trouble, I hope."

"Nope. None whatsoever." Walter smirked, pulling her closer to him. "They were great. Besides, it was _just _seven days."

"Seven _long _days." Paige giggled as she hooked her arms around Walter's neck.

"I'll admit," Walter nodded as he walked them towards the bed, "The amount of waiting did seem longer than usual. But you know what?"

"What?"

"It was well worth the wait," Walter mumbled, claiming her lips with his and trapping her against the bed.

…

Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien did not sleep at all that night.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

And thus concludes this three-part story. Let me know what you think!


	16. Just Seven Days (3) EXTENSION

**WriterFreak001: **

Alas, the final part. Enjoy! :)

**5/25/2015**

I made some revisions towards the end because I had forgotten a chunk I meant to add into the story. I AM SO SORRY! DX

This is just the extended piece of Part 3.

* * *

**Title** | Just Seven Days

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige is out of town so Walter and Paige's daughter, Léana, asks her father if he would join her tea party. (One-shot requested by screamfan1234 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This **CHAPTER** will be rated T for sexual themes and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Just Seven Days**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 3 **

**(EXTENSION)**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Walter stared at the ceiling with one arm wrapped firmly around his wife's bare back and another behind his head. He listened to her soft breathing as light puffs of breathy air tickled the base of his neck. Paige's long, slender arm was draped over his chest, and her leg was curled around his. Her toes rested beside his right foot, and as he felt her lips gingerly kiss his shoulder, he tore his eyes away from the dull plaster and gave Paige his undivided attention.

"You were thinking about something…," Paige's palm found his cheek, and her thumb brushed over the taut skin underneath his left eye. "Is everything okay?"

Walter covered her hand with his and curled his fingers between hers. "Everything's fine." He kissed her palm. "Why?"

"You just… seem lost in thought." Paige's toes ran up the side of his leg, doing crazy things to his insides.

Walter shrugged and smirked. "Just thinking about something our daughter said yesterday."

"Oh?" Paige's eyebrows rose towards the ceiling before she climbed on top of him and weaved her other hand into his unruly, dark hair. "What did she say?"

Walter sat up against the headboard, bringing Paige with him. She wrapped her legs around his hips and brought her bellybutton to his. She pressed her lips against his neck and laid her cheek upon his broad shoulder as he spoke. "She said she believed in magic."

"And that bothers you?"

"What? No." Walter shook his head. "I mean… I know for a fact magic is nothing more than fictitious science, and what other people believe – including Léana – doesn't affect me personally…."

"I'm sensing a 'but' at the end of that statement…." Paige lifted her head and cocked an eyebrow as she brought her other palm to his right cheek.

"But… she _did _pose an interesting argument."

"She _did_, did she?" Paige smiled, pulling her hand out from under his palm only to entwine her fingers with his. She brought the back of his hand to her lips.

Walter nodded and continued, sliding one palm down to her backside to pull her closer. "When I explained to her why I believed magic didn't exist, she basically asked me why I would waste my time reading something I didn't believe in. Granted, I read about alchemy with a chemist's lens, but that smart little girl of ours _did _have a point."

"Well," Paige latched her fingers behind his neck and leaned closer to him, pressing her chest against his. "She _is _her father's daughter."

"And apparently her mother's too." Walter muttered as Paige awarded him with a hot, wet kiss. Limbs tightened around one another until no space existed between them; they lost track of time as the world blurred into oblivion. As Paige feathered searing kisses from his lips… along his jawline… down his neck… over his chest… towards the small patch of hair under his navel, Walter found the audacity to continue their conversation. But oh, it was hard to concentrate. "She, um, she also said s-something else i-intriguing, too."

Paige climbed back up to him, greeting him with another kiss. "Do tell."

"Well," Walter paused, tempted to resume the conversation later but decided to go ahead and bring it up, curious of his wife's answer. He pulled her hands from his neck and laced his fingers together with hers before restarting his train of thought. "Out of sheer curiosity, I, uh, uh," he started to stammer as his wife began nibbling on his earlobe. He cleared his throat and tried to focus on the words swimming around in his mind. "I a-asked her why she believed in magic."

"Go on," Paige whispered into his ear, sending a thousand jolts of shivers down his spine. She then placed hot kisses against the sensitive skin underneath his ear. He opened his mouth to speak but no words bounced off of his vocal cords. Only sounds of undeniable pleasure.

When her tongue and mouth found his again, he absolutely forgot about their conversation, and the next thing he knew, he was on top of his wife, completely and utterly engrossed in everything she was.

Whatever he was going to talk about would have to wait.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"So…," Paige wrapped her arms around her husband's neck as they simply stood in the shower after cleaning up with the steamy water drizzling over them. "What were you saying last night about Léana and magic?"

"You were actually listening?" Walter blinked, causing Paige to laugh. "You seemed a little… preoccupied with things if I remember correctly – which I do."

"Oh," Paige rubbed her nose against his and giggled, "I am a woman of many, _many _talents."

"I am aware," Walter smirked, resting his palms on her shoulders. They met for a brief kiss and then Walter finally continued his thoughts from the night before. "As I was saying last night, Léana said something pretty interesting."

"After you asked her why she believed in magic, yes?" Paige cocked a brow, and he nodded.

"Yeah."

"What did she say?"

"Well," he mused, "she said she believed in magic because _you _said you believed in magic. Care to, uh," he swallowed, "Care to tell me what that's about?"

"Never trust a four-year-old to keep a secret," Paige murmured with a laugh, leaning closer to her husband. She took his hands from her shoulders and brought them to her waist. "You've always said magic couldn't exist because it wasn't bounded by the laws of science, yes?"

"More or less, yeah." Walter pursed his lips.

"And… at one time… you said the same thing about love. Correct?" Paige's eyes never left his.

Walter cocked his head slightly with interest. "Correct."

"And now…," she was inches from his face; her fingers caressed his cheeks. "You agree to an extent that love – despite what the laws of science say about it – exists too. Am I wrong?"

Walter hesitated. "N-no. You're not wrong."

"So… the reason I believe in magic is because it's the _only _explanation to explain the evolution of your opinions on love. I remember the day you said you loved me…" Paige smiled.

"I didn't actually say the word, 'love,' though." The genius chuckled.

Paige shook her head and rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks. "Doesn't matter. It's still the same." She kissed him lightly on the lips and continued. "Anyway, regardless of the terminology you used when you confessed your feelings, you admitted you believed love _did _in fact exist. The mere fact that you, Walter O'Brien, evolved from an emotionless man to a man in love is more than enough proof that magic, in some sense, exists."

Walter shrugged. "I guess… metaphorically speaking… you _could _say magic exists."

Paige laughed and kissed him. "So, tell me, Merlin," she rubbed her nose against his, "what did you learn when you read about alchemy?"

Walter cocked a brow. "Well…, um…, other than the fact that it was believed to be a magical form of chemistry that transmuted base metals to gold, it was also a science which studied transformation and creation."

"Hm," Paige mused. "So… do you believe alchemy exists?"

"I haven't found any definitive evidence concluding it does…. Why?" Walter blinked, and Paige grinned wider.

"Well," Paige's fingers walked up his chest and then rested over his heart. "Theoretically speaking, before you met me, you were basically a robot, yes?"

"If we're still using metaphors, then yes. I guess a 'robot' would be a good term to describe my lack of EQ from all those years ago." Walter touched his chin.

"And then…, after you met me, slowly, you started becoming more human." Paige pushed up on her toes and stared into his eyes.

"That is true."

"So… metaphorically speaking… you underwent a transformation, and your heart, which was once as cold and as hard as steel, transformed into a soft, loving, caring circulatory muscle..." Her fingers lightly brushed his wet hair out of his face. "I would even go as far as saying your heart has been shaped into a beautiful piece of gold."

"Alchemy." Walter deduced.

"Alchemy," Paige smiled. "So," she popped him in the bottom, "What did you think about my analogy?"

"I think," Walter bent down to kiss his wife, "you certainly have an interesting view of the world."

"That _is _why you hired me all those years ago," Paige laughed and kissed him again.

"And married you," Walter added, receiving another kiss.

"And gave me two beautiful babies," Paige mumbled against his lips.

"Yes," he muttered.

Paige counted the seconds as they kissed.

"Wait…," Walter pulled away. "Two?"

"Two." Paige's lips curled ear to ear, bringing her husband's palm to her belly.

Walter stared at her abdomen. "How long have you known?"

"Found out shortly after I landed in England; I first thought I was experiencing motion sickness or something, but then I realized it's been more than a month since my last period. The pregnancy test I took confirmed it." Paige explained with a smile on her face.

"And you didn't tell me when you found out because…?"

"Oh, that would have been a great conversation starter," Paige rolled her eyes. "Hello, Walter. How's life in LA? Oh yeah! Guess what?! I'm pregnant!"

"I see your point," Walter quickly said and then added, "How far along are you?"

"Well," she looked at her tummy, "At least six weeks, but I won't know for sure until we schedule an appointment with my OB/GYN." She paused and added, "Now," she pushed her husband against the shower wall and pressed her body against his, "less talking and more loving; we've got seven days to make up for, and I'm not counting last night."

"Just seven days?" Walter chuckled, wrapping his arms around her.

"At _least _seven days."

"Sounds good to me," he grinned as she closed the distance between them.

And then… "DADDY! MOMMY!" Léana's high-pitched voice could be heard from the other side of the door above the sound of the pelting water. "I'M HUNGRY!"

Walter and Paige paused and sighed. Paige was the first to pull away. "Raincheck?"

"Raincheck." Walter chuckled as Paige pecked his lips. After she climbed out of the shower, dried herself off and told Léana through the door that she'd be out shortly, she wrapped her towel around her body, combed her hair and muttered a goodbye to Walter. Just before she opened the door, Walter turned off the water and popped his head beside the curtain, capturing Paige's attention. He attempted to be funny. "Just… Just don't make me wait seven more days for that raincheck this time."

Paige laughed and winked. "Oh, believe me," she walked up to him and gently tugged on his manhood. He froze. "When I'm through with you, husband dearest, you won't even be able to _move _for seven days."

He blanched as she lightly smacked his cheek and squeezed him. "Til then!"

And as Paige left the bathroom, only one thought passed through Walter O'Brien's mind. That woman would be his undoing.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

And there ya go! :)


	17. Migraine

**WriterFreak001: **

Enjoy!

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**Title** | Migraine

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Walter is suffering from a migraine, and Cabe's the only one around to help him out. Mr. 197 is under the impression that his headache is an aftereffect from his accident, but after finding out what Paige is up to, Cabe disagrees and doesn't think medicine is the remedy Walter needs. How will Cabe handle Walter's distress? Find out! (The person who has requested this one-shot wishes to remain anonymous)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Migraine**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"What's up with you, O'Brien?" Cabe asked his favorite genius after walking into the garage and finding the man lying on the couch with his arms covering his eyes. "Hangover?"

"That is ridiculous," Walter grumbled. "You know I don't drink."

"Then what's eating you?" Cabe inquired as he approached Walter slowly. He folded his arms across his chest and studied the man. He didn't look so hot.

"Migraine," was all Walter said.

"Where's the rest of the team?" Cabe found it odd for Walter to be the only one in the garage. Usually the whole team was present at this time, but Walter seemed to be alone.

Walter sat up and buried his head into his hands, groaning as he spoke. "Toby and Happy are taking Ralph to the Science Center, Sly is visiting Megan and Paige left a short while ago to get some medicine. She won't be back for at least twenty minutes."

"Do you know what started this migraine of yours? Usually, migraines are stress-induced in some way, shape or form." Cabe cocked an eyebrow and took a step towards Walter.

"If I knew what started it, I wouldn't be in this predicament right now," Walter griped as he stretched out his face by pulling down on his taut skin below his eyes. "It's probably an aftereffect from the wreck."

"Probably..." Cabe didn't think the accident had anything to do with it. "When did your head start hurting?"

"Shortly after everyone but Paige left the garage." Walter mumbled into his hands. "Hence the reason why she left to get some medicine."

"What was on your mind when the headache started?"

Walter didn't answer.

"Walter?"

"It's... nothing you need to know. Whatever I was thinking about isn't relevant." Walter frowned.

"You were thinking about Paige, weren't you." Cabe wasn't asking. He already knew the answer.

Walter flicked his eyes towards Cabe. "Again. How is it relevant?"

"Well," Cabe chuckled and sat down next to the man, "I might not be a doctor, but I know a thing or two about migraines. Rebecca used to get them after Amanda passed away. Constantly putting off her grief emotionally stressed her out and constantly gave her migraines. I think it's relatively the same concept for you, 197."

"I'm not following," Walter muttered as he reached for a glass of water and took a swig from it. "I've never experienced personal loss so whatever I have cannot be the same thing."

"Not yet, but you _did _almost lose the two most important people to you a few weeks ago. Now that they're back in your life, you're holding back for some reason. I think... because you're forcing yourself to maintain an emotional distance with Paige, it's putting stress on your mind. Hence the migraine. Tell me," Cabe placed his hand on Walter's shoulder, "have you lost sleep since your accident?"

"Some, but not a lot."

"And when you have trouble sleeping, is it because you're calculating unsolved equations in your mind, or that you're thinking of Paige?" Cabe didn't have to be a behaviorist to know he'd hit the nail right on the head with his second question. Walter looked straight at Cabe the moment he uttered Paige's name.

"What are you getting at?"

"All I'm saying is that maybe," Cabe shrugged, "maybe your migraine has a lot more to do with your feelings for Paige than your accident. Sure, your wreck may be a small factor, but I think your resistance towards Paige is the underlining cause of your migraine. It's causing you stress whether you realize it or not, and it's only going to build up and get worse the more you avoid confronting your feelings for Paige Dineen."

Walter groaned. "Say I _have _been avoiding these non-existent feelings for Paige... why would the migraine pop up now? It's been weeks since the wreck..." (Meaning, Cabe assumed, it's been weeks since Walter started ignoring his feelings) "...Why now?"

"Stress builds up," was the only answer Cabe had for Walter. "Have you ever been alone in the same room with Paige since your accident?"

"Not really... at least... not long enough to dwell on... things." Walter answered candidly before bringing his water to his lips.

"Well, maybe being alone with her was what triggered your migraine. You now had a chance to tell her how you feel, but because you're such a stubborn damn fool, you chickened out, and as a result, your migraine developed."

"That's pure speculation." Walter rubbed his temples. "You can't prove any of that."

"No. I can't." Cabe crossed his arms. "But what do you really have to lose, kid?"

"An employee... a friend... Ralph..." Walter spoke quietly. "I have a _lot _to lose."

"Kid," Cabe rose to his feet and tapped his foot, "I usually stay out of these things, but you're acting ridiculous, 197. Paige has the hots for you. A blind man can see it. I don't know if she told you this, but after everyone left your hospital room a few weeks ago, she stayed behind and went back into your room for a little while."

"She did?" Walter's eyes found Cabe's. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Cabe shrugged. "How the hell should I know? I'm not a woman." He sat back down beside Walter and placed a hand on his shoulder again. "Son... do you love her?"

"Love is imaginary." Walter shook his head.

"Okay. Let me rephrase the question." Cabe rubbed his temples. "If it was _her _life that was on the line instead of yours a few weeks ago, what would you do?"

"I would stop at nothing to save her," Walter answered almost too quickly.

"And you'd risk your life?"

"Yes. In a heartbeat."

Cabe smiled. "Then isn't she worth everything - including you telling her how you feel?"

Walter didn't answer. He just stared at his feet as Cabe's question circulated through his mind. Little did Cabe know, Walter's head was feeling better. It wasn't completely healed or normal or whatever, but he wasn't in agonizing pain anymore. Perhaps Cabe had been right... Perhaps the source of his migraine had a lot more to do with Paige than his accident.

Suddenly, the door to the garage opened and Paige came walking inside with a small paper bag. "Sorry for the wait, the line at the pharmacy was long. I got back as soon as I could, though." She finally spotted Cabe. "Oh! Cabe, I didn't know you were coming in today."

"I thought I'd come by to see how everyone was doing... Didn't think I'd find _this_," he pointed to Walter, "in such a state, though."

"Walter," Paige's velvety voice caught the genius's attention as she walked up to him. Cabe rose to his feet, letting her by him. "How are you feeling?"

"A little bit better," Walter gave her a smile.

She grinned. "Oh, good. I'm glad. Do you still need some pain relievers?"

Walter shook his head. "Nah. The migraine seems to be clearing up. I think I'll be good."

"Well," Paige casually touched his arm, "let me know if it comes back; I can have the medicine ready in a jiffy."

"Will do." Walter nodded, ignoring Cabe's smirk.

"Okay... Well... If you're feeling better, I'm about to go and fix some lunch in the kitchen. Just... let me know if you need anything else." She paused and then turned to Cabe. "I can make you a sandwich too, if you'd like."

"Nah... I gotta get back to Homeland soon; I'll just grab a bite on the way to the office." Cabe smiled softly at the woman. "Thank you, though."

"All right. Suit yourself." Paige shrugged, glanced at Walter once more before striding off to the kitchen.

"Walter," Cabe tried again once Paige was out of range, "Do you love her?"

Walter refused to answer the middle-aged man as he shifted his gaze to the floor. Quietly, he sighed, "I don't know... Maybe? I don't... I don't really know what love would feel like... if it exists, that is."

Cabe smiled. "Then why don't you go over there," he pointed to the kitchen, "and find out?"

Walter gulped as he peered through the opening leading towards the kitchen area of the garage's lower level. He inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly, realizing Cabe was right. He never was going to know unless he made an effort to find out for himself if what he feels for Paige is love or... something else. "Okay." He pushed himself to his feet and hustled to the kitchen.

Cabe knew he shouldn't, but he followed Walter to eavesdrop on their impending conversation, curious to find out how it'll play out.

"Paige," Walter called out to the woman, causing her to stop grabbing things out of the refrigerator. "Wait."

"What is it, Walter?" Paige blinked as Walter walked up to her. He took the mayonnaise out of her hand and placed it back into the fridge. "You won't need that."

"For sandwiches, I do." Paige blinked.

"No." he stared at her hand for a few seconds before swooping it up with his fingers. He folded his fingers between hers and gave her a nervous smile. "You won't."

"May I ask why?" Paige raised an eyebrow as she, too, glanced at their conjoined hands.

"We're going to eat lunch elsewhere." Walter was quick to answer.

"Oh, should we invite Cabe, then?"

"No." Walter shook his head. "I mean... um..." he scratched the side of his face... "I...," he was having difficulty trying to articulate what he wanted and was growing flustered. "I... want you!" he exclaimed, and as her eyes widened into an expression he couldn't read, he added, "...a-and me... um... lunch... um... t-"

Paige cut him off by placing her index finger over his lips. She smiled. "I'd love to."

"You w-would?"

Paige giggled and smirked as she grabbed his tie and yanked him down for a heated, wet kiss. When she slowly pulled away, she grinned and then kissed the back of his hand. "You know it."

And without another word spoken between the pair, Paige reached for her purse and eagerly tugged Walter out of the garage, leaving Cabe behind,

Cabe only chuckled as he glanced at Walter's empty desk. He was glad that Walter was finally recognizing his feelings for Paige and hoped that one day, through Paige Dineen, Walter will eventually find the happiness he deserves.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

What did you think?


	18. By the Way? I Love You

**WriterFreak001: **

I enjoyed writing this one, greatly. :)

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**Title** | By the Way? I Love You.

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Walter and Paige are together since a moment; she tells him every day that she loves him and one day he says it too but very difficultly." (Requested by nono015 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**By the way? I Love You.**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

The first time Paige told Walter she loved him, they were on the rooftop of the garage, lying down on a blown-up mattress, watching the stars. While Walter was intently studying the positions of the stars in the sky, pointing to various constellations and telling Paige about the latest discoveries made by NASA, she was busy watching _him_, intrigued by his enthusiasm for astronomy. Eventually, he realized she wasn't gazing at the sky and paused. "Is... is something wrong?"

"No," Paige shook her head and smiled as she moved closer to him. "Everything is perfect."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Then why were you looking at me?"

Her melodious laugh sent shivers down his spine as she curled towards him, hovering partially over top of him. Her fingers weaved through his curly hair, sliding gently down the side of his face. Her palm cupped his cheek, and her thumb smoothed over the taut skin underneath his eyes. He simply watched her, secretly enjoying the soft touch of her palm against his skin. He brought his palm up to hers and moved her fingers to his lips, lightly kissing them. She didn't need to answer his question; through her closeness alone, he understood why she was looking at him and not at the sky. Because now... he couldn't tear his eyes off of her; she captivated him, and for once in his life, it didn't bother him that something other than math and science held his undivided attention.

She closed the distance between them and kissed him gingerly - a sensation that almost always sent Walter to a strange euphoria where the world blurred around him. Math and science never made any sense and feeling her lips against his sent his two favorite passions into an obscured oblivion; he never seemed to care.

When she pulled away, she rested her forehead on top of his as their short breaths laced together in the small space between them. She kissed him again, but the second one was much more fleeting. She grazed her nails over his hairline, gently brushing through his curls. She smiled as her thumb trailed over his lips. "I know you might think I'm crazy... or nonsensical, Walter, but," her smiling eyes found his, "I love you." Before she gave him time to speak, she placed a finger over his lips and continued, "And... maybe one day... you'll figure out what love means to you, too. Until then, I am perfectly content with whatever relationship you're comfortable with. No buts."

He really didn't know what to say, and while he wanted to tell her he also felt the same way for her, the words wouldn't form properly. His throat was tight, and he struggled to say something, but the only reaction he could muster was a slight nod and an 'okay.'

She smiled sweetly and left no more room for talking as she lowered her lips to his mouth and sent him into another state of wonderful euphoria.

**~ SCORPION ~**

The second time Paige told Walter she loved him, it was early in the morning after a long night of cuddling; Walter still wasn't comfortable with a sexually intimate relationship, and she was fine with the level of intimacy he willingly gave her - they often kissed, held hands and cuddled when no one was looking. She knew, one day, he would be ready to commit to a physical relationship, but for now, she was grateful for their current relationship. They were taking things slow, and as long as Walter was comfortable, she was comfortable.

"We should get some sleep," Paige whispered as she caressed Walter's cheek. "It's almost 2 AM."

"Okay," Walter mumbled, mindlessly pulling his girlfriend closer to him. She hugged him tighter before lightly kissing his lips.

"Good night, Walter."

"Mhmm." He hummed as he closed his eyes. "G'night, Paige."

She kissed him once more and brought her lips to his ear. "I love you, Walter O'Brien. Don't you ever forget it."

She eventually fell asleep in his arms; he did not.

He spent the entire night analyzing the quantifiable (if there was any) and qualitative evidence, wanting so badly to prove the existence of love so that one day, he could find the courage to tell her how much he feels, too.

**~ SCORPION ~**

The third time Paige told Walter she loved him, she was getting ready for a meeting with Drew. She had asked Walter to watch Ralph and keep him occupied while she met with the boy's father, wanting to settle some sort of parenting agreement with the man. Walter did not like this plan; he was sure the jock was going to take advantage of Ralph, but Paige asked him to give Drew the benefit of the doubt.

"He's Ralph's father, Walter. If I thought Drew was dangerous, do you honestly think I'd let him near my son?"

"Of course not."

She smiled, "Then please support my decision to meet with him. I want Ralph to have a relationship with his father - despite distance. I have terms I want Drew to respect; if he wishes for Ralph to visit, I'm not letting him visit Drew alone. We'll be going with him."

Walter raised an eyebrow. "We?"

She hooked her arms around him and grinned. "We." She grinned wider as a smile formed on Walter's face. "Ralph's going to need you to help him in a different environment; he looks up to you, and I worry if he goes to Portland alone, he won't adjust well when visiting his dad."

"Me going with the two of you would be the wise choice... for Ralph's benefit, of course." Walter wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"And it's not like we'd visit for long. A few days, max. Just enough for Ralph to spend some time with Drew every once in a while. I'll also ask Drew to make some effort to come to LA. He can't be the only one making demands in this arrangement." Paige smirked. "And if he can't accept my terms, then I don't want him seeing Ralph again - to me... if he doesn't want to make an effort to visit Ralph as well as let you come with us to visit Portland, then it tells me he doesn't think Ralph is worth his time."

"That would be a reasonable assumption," Walter mused.

"So," Paige lightly kissed him, "you have nothing to worry about. And... if things go south between me and Drew as far as parenting goes, at least Ralph has you." She kissed him again and smacked his cheek. "So Drew wouldn't be a complete loss if it ever comes to that."

She pulled away from him and grabbed her jacket. "I should get going. Ralph's downstairs, playing Proton Arnold."

"Okay," Walter nodded. Out of nowhere, he reached for her hand and stopped her from leaving. "Are you sure you don't want me to come?"

"I need you here for Ralph." Paige squeezed his fingers.

"I understand," he dropped her palm and forced a grin. She walked up to him and surprised him with a hard, wet kiss.

"Thank you," she mumbled against his lips. "I know I've said this before, but I love you so much, Walter, and I'm grateful for everything you do for me and Ralph."

She kissed him once more and lightly smacked his cheek before turning to leave.

And then she was gone.

**~ SCORPION ~**

The fourth time Paige told Walter she loved him, the circumstances were unfavorable. The team was drawn into an assignment they really had no business being part of, but because LA's finest arson investigators couldn't draw any conclusions, Homeland roped Scorpion into the assignment to figure out who the arsonist of five burnt down targets was. For once, Walter as well as the rest of the team had major concerns about this case. They had encountered their fair share of fire in the past, and the experience wasn't something anyone wanted to remember. But... since Cabe needed a boost in his career after the sarin gas debacle... Walter caved and took on the case.

They were in a parking garage that was scheduled to be condemned in the next few weeks. The structural integrity of the building was shoddy, at best, and the only reason they were there was because they were surveying the building across the street. Toby had noticed a pattern where the arsonist went after commercial buildings for maximum casualties and maximized media coverage. The arsonist, according to Toby's analysis, craved attention, and the building they were surveying from a safe distance was the next best target.

Nothing happened, though. They were at the parking garage for hours and not a single flame in sight. "Crap," Cabe ran his hand through his hair. "Move back!"

"What's wrong?" Walter was the first to speak.

"Arson Investigations just sent me a text; they received a note from the arsonist, saying he's changed targets."

"To where?" Paige blinked.

Suddenly, a fire exploded in the garage, compromising the entire structure.

"There," Happy pointed. "That bastard must have found out somehow that we were onto him and wanted to try and take _us_out instead."

"B-but how would he know?" Sylvester stammered.

"There's an inside man," Cabe muttered. "All right, no one speaks to anybody about this case. Got that!?"

"Affirmative," Walter nodded. He suddenly blanched. "Crap!"

"What now?" Cabe groaned.

"I left my laptop in the building." Without another word, Walter bolted into the building. "I'll be right back!"

"GET BACK HERE, O'BRIEN!" Cabe shouted as Paige screamed his name.

She struggled to follow him, but Toby and Sylvester held her back as Cabe called Homeland for further instructions. Happy surveyed the area for any ideas to try to prevent the fire from spreading, but she was coming up empty. She could hear firetrucks coming, but by the time they get there, Walter could be dead.

Paige tried to rip herself out of Toby's and Sylvester's grips, but they were too strong. Toby tried convincing her that Walter was going to be fine, but she wasn't listening to him. She somehow tore away from the geniuses and bolted for the building when she saw a figure slowly hobbling out of the garage, carrying his laptop.

"Well, I'll be damned," Cabe muttered as Walter approached them. His clothes were singed, and he was covered with smoke residue. He was carrying his laptop case on his shoulder, and he was coughing - not too much but enough to stop and topple over.

Paige was the first to run to him. "You idiot!" she screamed as she dropped down to him and shook his shoulders hard. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

He inhaled a short breath and panted, "I hadn't transferred over the evidence from my laptop to our cloud server yet; my laptop is the only device with the evidence on it."

Paige then grabbed his face and kissed him hard on the mouth. Everyone blinked, not expecting the sudden PDA the couple was displaying.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" she scolded him between kisses.

"I can't promise that," Walter mumbled as he pulled away and coughed some more.

She sighed and touched her nose to his. "I know you can't."

"Are you mad?"

"No," she hesitated. "Just... torn and little bit shaken." She pressed a fleeting kiss against his lips and muttered, "I can never be angry at the man I love, Walter. Frustrated, maybe, but never angry."

She leaned in to kiss him again.

"All right you two!" Cabe approached them and pulled them both up to their feet. "The fire department will be arriving any moment, and you guys are in the way. Not to mention the fact that Romeo, here," he looked at Walter, "needs to see the paramedics"

**~ SCORPION ~**

The fifth time Paige expressed her love to Walter, it was her birthday. Instead of having a Cyclone-fashioned party, Walter took her out to dinner to Escala. Their dinner was delectable, and the service was better than Walter expected. He tried not to make the dinner about work, but when the topic waltzed into their conversation, it was _she_who brought it up, not him. Paige was the only person in the world with whom Walter felt the most comfortable conversing. And their conversations never circulated solely around math and science. Strangely, he didn't mind. He enjoyed learning about Paige's life; he had often wondered what sort of person she was before Drew and before Ralph, and the stories she shared with him - very _personal_stories - weren't exactly what he had in mind, but they did help give him some insight as to how Paige had shaped into the woman she's become over the years.

After dinner, they strolled the park upon Paige's request - it was a practice they had just started to help clear their minds and escape the world every once in a while. Walter very much enjoyed the walks and the times spent with his girlfriend, and he suspected Paige enjoyed them too.

"Happy Birthday, Paige," Walter muttered as he handed her a small box once they were seated on their favorite bench. "I know it's not much..., but hopefully, you'll appreciate it all the same."

She opened the box and gasped as she pulled out a gold-chained necklace with an infinity symbol hanging from it. "It's beautiful." She handed to him, and he was first confused as to why she gave it to him, but after she spun around and lifted her hair, he connected the dots. She had to let down her hair momentarily until the chain was around her neck, and once her hair was collected in her hands again, he latched the necklace onto her, and she smoothed it out with her fingers. She turned back around and kissed him. "I love it."

He cleared his throat. "Um... there's more."

"More?"

"I've... well... for the past several months, I've been... I've been secretly trying to analyze the possible existence of love... well... trying to make sense of it, really... and... I don't think I came very close to figuring it out, but..." he took her hands in his and kissed her fingers, "I think... I think that maybe... maybe it _does_exist." He wrinkled his nose and sniffed, "Here are the facts, Paige. While I really don't know what love feels like..., I can't imagine my life without you. I hope you know that..., and w-whatever we have," Walter was really struggling to pull the words out of his mouth, but for her, the words he wanted... no... _needed_to say were worth the struggle because _she_was worth everything to him. "What we have transcends above anything I've ever known, and I don't want any part of what we have together to go away... ever. While I couldn't place quantifiable evidence with love, the closest concept I could find that resembles e-everything..., um..., e-everything I feel for you is i-infinity. You're a c-constant in my life, a-and... a-and...," Before Walter could continue, Paige crashed her lips against his; her kisses were wet and messy and filled with burning desire.

"Walter?" She caressed his face and trapped him against the bench with her legs resting on both sides of his hips. Walter mindlessly rested his hands on her backside and pulled her closer to him, prompting her to kiss him again.

"Hm?" He eventually mumbled against her lips, not wanting her to ever separate from him. It was a strange desire, but he couldn't deny his need for her anymore. God, he wanted her in every sense of the word. He never wanted her more than anybody, and he hoped she desired him as much as he desired her.

"I love you too." She gently pulled away and brushed her fingers through his bangs. She kissed him again. "God, I love you so much."

"Um...," Walter placed a few inches between them and held Paige's face in his palms. "There's something else..."

"What is it?" she kissed his palm.

"I-If you'd let me..., I'd like to take you back to the garage and... show you... how I feel." Walter stammered, hoping she would understand him without having him repeat himself again.

"Walter," she pulled his hands away from her face and curled her fingers around his fingers. "You don't have to prove yourself to me... I don't want you to force yourself into anything you don't want to do yet. I've already told you I'm perfectly happy with everything we are."

"Oh, I know." Walter answered a little too quickly. "But I want to..."

She smiled. "Okay."

And then they left the park hand-in-hand for a long, beautiful night of loving.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001:**

Let me know what you think!


	19. Opposites Attract

**WriterFreak001: **

Just a short drabble.

* * *

**Title** | Opposites Attract

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | A short, fluffy drabble. Original idea. Not requested.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Opposites Attract**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Paige Dineen was a challenging woman, if nothing but. Being a mother had certainly given her the courage she needed to keep the members of Scorpion in line, and she wasn't afraid to undermine Walter's authority. While she mostly always went with his orders and demands, she didn't always agree with his methods. It frustrated him to no end every time she pulled him aside and told him what he was doing wrong or shared her opinions with him, but he couldn't bark at her (well, he _shouldn't _bark at her). She's only doing the job he hired her for, and she was really, really good at it. She was irreplaceable. Indispensable. And there were still a lot of things he didn't know about her (and she, him), but he knew he made the right choice in hiring her. She might be the company's liaison, but she was also _his _liaison. She could chastise him a thousand times over, but it still wouldn't change the intense feelings he felt in her presence (or whenever she had crossed his mind). He really didn't know what being in love meant for normals, but if he had to guess, the strange but rather soothing feelings he always experienced around Paige would be it.

And if love existed, then he wanted Paige – _his _liaison – to be the one to teach him how it worked because he believed only _she _was capable of handling such a task.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter O'Brien was a dork. A mega dork who knew nothing about love and romance. He was awkward and weird and frustrating to understand at times. He was sometimes senseless and seemed to only think of himself and the betterment of his company, but amidst his flaws, he _did _try to tone his megalomania down a bit, and he was improving (slowly), but despite his gradual transformation, he was still and would always _be _a dork. But he was _her _dork, and she loved him for everything he was – warts and all. The fact that he was working on his downfalls showed her he cared enough to change and that he recognized he wasn't perfect. It was funny to watch him struggle with things he didn't understand, and the more awkward he was, the deeper she fell in love. He still froze whenever she teased him in secret and to watch him squirm under her fingers as she either weaved them through his unruly hair or caressed his face or even played with the buttons on his shirt (she'd only gotten as far as unbuttoning the top three without him completely shutting down) was hysterical. She loved how he often only froze under _her _touch; she felt special. Privileged. Honored. And when they finally did share their first kiss (many, many months after she first kissed him in the hospital), she was flattered when he asked her to teach him about love. And because he was willing to learn, she knew Walter's capacity for love wasn't as far out of the realm of possibility as she originally thought.

And the possibility of being loved by the man who had already captured her heart made her smile with lots and lots of hope.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001:**

Let me know what you think!


	20. Eventually

**WriterFreak001: **

This one is super short.

* * *

**Title** | Eventually

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Walter found Paige in the garage, alone, sick and delirious so he stays with her and take care of her." (Requested by nono015 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Eventually**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

He found her in the garage one early, early morning on his way downstairs to work on his rocket. It was nearly 3 AM, and her unexpected presence confused him. Her fingers were clenching her hair, and she was hunched over her legs on the red couch. He said nothing as he approached her, and still said nothing after he sat down next to her. He patiently waited for her to say or do something, but she didn't respond. He almost thought she didn't notice him next to her and decided it would be best to give her some space. The moment he rose to his feet and started to leave, she reached for his hand, stopping him in his tracks. He spun around and found her eyes. They were wet and red from crying, and she was clearly distressed about something.

"Don't go," she begged quietly; her voice, almost inaudible.

"Okay," was all he said as he sat back down and stared at their conjoined hands. As much as he wanted to know the source of her tears and scratchy voice, he didn't dare ask.

(Though, he assumed it had something to do with Ralph being up in Portland for the week to visit his dad).

If she wanted to tell him, she would. Over the past year, he had learned of her habits; while she didn't always tell him what was going on in her life upfront, she always _did _tell him eventually.

So, like other times she came to the garage for some sort of _emotional _support, he did his best to give it to her. He stayed when she asked him to stay. He held her when she leaned her head against his shoulder, and he occasionally kissed her forehead when presented the opportunity.

This time wasn't any different.

He leaned against the back of the sofa, and she rested her cheek against his collarbone as she wrapped her slender arm around his torso, pulling him close to her. Neither one of them spoke; they just... sat in silence together.

And as he let her hold him and quietly cry against his chest, he patiently waited for eventually.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

What did you think?


	21. Maybe One Day

**WriterFreak001: **

Not a request, but I felt like it should go within this compilation all the same. :)

* * *

**Title** | Maybe One Day

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige finally tells Drew she and Ralph are staying in LA.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for some mild language and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Maybe One Day**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Paige peeked through the thin crack in the door and spotted Walter in his hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. Without knocking, she pushed her way into the room and flashed him a warm smile. "Hey," she casually spoke and made her way to the chair beside his bed. When his deep brown eyes met hers, she gripped the case in her palms and muttered, "I thought you might want this."

Walter briefly looked at the black sack in her hands and then returned his attention to her. "Thanks."

"You want me to set it up for you?" Paige bit her lip, but he shook his head.

"Maybe later."

"Okay," Paige gave him a small smile and gently placed Walter's computer bag onto the floor against the wall. "Since you're going to be here for at least a couple more days," Paige briefly paused when she caught him staring intensely at her and felt her heart skip a beat, but she quickly recovered and continued as though nothing happened, "Cabe has asked me to come by every day until you're released to make sure you follow your doctor's orders and not strain yourself. The others are wrapped up in a case today so they'll pop by whenever they can."

"Sounds good." Walter mumbled as he shifted his eyes towards the ceiling again. "So I'm assuming Cabe was reinstated?"

"…It's a work in progress…," Paige hesitated and let out a small laugh, causing Walter to find her eyes again. "Let's just say… if Scorpion manages to solve the case, Cabe has his job back; if we don't…, well…," Paige decided not to finish her thought and quickly said, "it won't get to that. I believe in us… them… Scorpion."

"If Toby, Happy and Sylvester can save my life from a 97% chance of death, then whatever case they're working on should be a cinch." Walter grumbled as he slowly adjusted the back of his hospital bed, allowing himself to sit up more. The pain he expressed concerned her.

"Are you all right? Should I get a nurse?" Paige immediately jumped out of her chair, ready to bolt out the door, but he grabbed her hand and lightly (but not painlessly) chuckled.

"I'm fine."

"Normally you say that when you're _not _fine," Paige pursed her lips as her eyes landed on their conjoined hands.

"True as _that _may be," Walter was also looking at the way his fingers were wrapped around hers, "I promise…," he ever so slightly rubbed his thumb over her third knuckle and gulped audibly as he flicked his eyes back to hers, "I'm actually fine."

"Okay," Paige sweetly smiled as she sat back down in her chair and leaned closer to his bed. Their hands were still together. "I know Cabe didn't exactly ask you if it was okay and all, but… me being here is okay right? I mean… I," she suddenly found it hard to speak as her face flushed, "I wouldn't, um, I wouldn't want to impose."

"You're not imposing," Walter's simple response warmed her heart. "I mean, uh," he stammered, "h-having you here is a lot better than staring at the wall all day."

Paige laughed softly to cloak the sound her heart made as it pounded against her ribs. She hoped to God Walter couldn't hear it, but she was pretty sure it was loud enough for the entire hospital to hear. She unknowingly squeezed his fingers and gazed into his deep brown irises. "I bet."

Several long minutes of silence meddled its way between them, but their eyes never broke contact. She was tempted to ask him what he was going to say before his car started to fall off the cliff, but she was afraid he would clam up and shut her out. Walter wasn't one to open up so freely so she decided to wait and let _him _bring it up when he was ready. So, instead, she eventually said, "I'm sorry."

Walter's brow lifted. "For what?"

"What I said the other night," Paige started slowly and flashed Walter a sad smile, "was cruel and awful and totally unfair, especially after the kind of day you had had."

"In spite of the emotional impact your words had had on me," Walter swallowed loudly and blinked, "what you said… made sense…. At the time of the argument, I was temporary blinded by an onset of emotions I hadn't yet processed and couldn't see the logic behind your reasons for going to Portland. But…, um," he paused briefly, "Uh…, after the morphine wore off early this morning, I was able to analyze the argument in full and, uh, m-make sense of your decision to leave." Walter's thumb continued caressing her knuckles, but he seemed oblivious to it as his eyes never left hers. "I understand your need to keep Ralph safe – that is top priority, and if I wasn't emotionally vulnerable, I would have seen that clearly. And you're right – I am partially responsible for Ralph's heroism; what I said to him that morning – that he was a very important part of the team – only encouraged him to risk his life, and that was reckless on my part. I should have seen that one coming, but… uh… b-because of my attachment to him…, I, um, I didn't." He pursed his lips and gulped. "Yeah, well. Like I said…. I understand."

Paige's eyes trailed to their hands as she twisted her hand around his and interlocked their fingers together. "Thank you…," she whispered softly as she brought his palm to her lips and lightly kissed it. "That means a lot, but…," she scooted her chair closer to him and quietly giggled, "do you mind if I continue with my apology anyway?"

"Oh. Um… Okay."

She bravely reached over and brushed her fingers through his curls, and she eventually said, "I think it's safe to say neither one of us was thinking properly that night; I was an emotional wreck because of Ralph, and you were upset because of Cabe and the case… That being said, the things I said to you were not entirely true…. Yes, nothing is more important to me than Ralph's safety, and it scares me to think of him risking his life every single day just because he wants to be like you, Walter…." Her fingers grazed down the side of his face, "You… Scorpion… are the best things in Ralph's life… and mine…; I just… I can't bear to watch Ralph put himself in danger again – he's just a boy. He shouldn't have to carry Scorpion's responsibility on his shoulders at such a young age," she paused and gave Walter a fleeting smile, "The world has _you_, Walter, and that is a _huge _burden for you to always carry on your back, I'm sure…, and I think it's great that Ralph wants to be like you…. To be the mother of a genius who wants nothing more than to help people and save lives is an amazing blessing, and that is something I will treasure… someday. But not now." She bit her lip. "I'm just not ready to share my baby with the rest of the world yet."

Walter nodded. "I understand."

"Do you?"

"Yeah." Walter gave her a small grin. "I'll be sure to talk to him about restricting his Scorpion activity to the garage only… and, of course, under supervision."

"Thank you." That wasn't the exact answer Paige was hoping for, but she took it anyway. A faint thought passed her mind as she remembered seeing Walter on the edge of the cliff, and her heart suddenly felt heavy with guilt.

Walter's brows furrowed. "Something else is bothering you."

"Hm?" Paige's eyebrows popped up, and she bit her lip, wondering how a guy who claimed he couldn't read emotions could read her so well.

"Uh…," Walter cleared his throat, "Um, you, uh, you blink a lot when you're upset about something…."

"Oh…." Paige hadn't really noticed. "It's… It's nothing."

"If it's bothering you, it isn't nothing." Walter stated, and when her eyes flicked towards his he quickly shifted his eyes away from hers and added, "Toby, uh, Toby once said it's a good strategy to, um, to have someone to talk to so you don't… uh… don't hold everything in… I'm a terrible example since I do nothing _but_, and… well… I am horrible at giving advice, b-but…, um, I mean, well, if you're comfortable with, you know, sharing…, I d-don't mind listening…. B-but, uh, you don't have to t-talk if you don't want."

Paige stayed silent for a few minutes and gazed at their entwined fingers; she eventually said, "I… I can't help but feel partially responsible for your accident…."

Before she could continue, Walter cut her off. "Stop right there." Paige met his eyes with a mixture of curiosity and confusion as he continued, "You weren't driving 190 miles per hour that night, and you certainly did not push the coyote in front of the road. Driving that Ferrari was _my _decision. I don't blame you for my accident."

"And yet, if it wasn't for what I had said, you wouldn't have gotten into that damn car." Paige felt a tear fall down her cheek, but she ignored it.

"I don't know…," Walter tried for a joke, "I was pretty pissed off at Cabe for lying to me so getting into that Ferrari wouldn't have been completely out of the realm of possibility."

Paige wasn't laughing. "Maybe, but… that's not what happened. _I _enraged you, Walter, and because of me," More tears fell, "y-you almost lost your life."

"But I didn't." Walter blinked. "There's no sure way of knowing what would have happened if things had gone differently; you wouldn't have been angry at me if I hadn't told Ralph he was an important member of Scorpion and unintentionally encouraged him to risk his life. And… the whole case wouldn't have happened if I hadn't created that program when I was sixteen in the first place. The notion of causality is tricky, and I'd rather not get into it too much," Walter chuckled and captured her other hand in his. "It's not your fault. End of discussion."

"But –"

"No buts." Walter interjected, his eyes piercing into her very soul. She knew he wasn't lying when he said he didn't blame her, but that didn't mean she didn't blame herself.

"Okay," she closed her eyes and feigned a smile as she brought the back of his hand to her cheek.

"You're wrong, by the way," Walter suddenly said.

"Huh?" her eyes popped open, and she stared at him.

"You said Scorpion and I are the best things in Ralph's life." Walter blinked. "You're wrong in that assessment."

Confused, her brows furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"Because," Walter pursed his lips and swallowed, "_you _are the best thing in Ralph's life. Sure, Scorpion… and I have helped him, but you are his core; you shouldn't sell yourself short, Paige."

"Thanks," Paige closed her eyes and inhaled a deep, heavy breath as another onset of tears fell down her face, "I needed to hear that…." Walter hesitantly touched her cheek and gently wiped away her tears. She instinctively covered the back of his hand with hers and held his warm palm to her skin; she didn't know why, perhaps it was because she had almost lost him, but she desperately needed to keep touching him… to keep reminding herself that he was still alive… that she wasn't living inside a dream… that everything was real…. She _needed _this to be real. She needed _him _to be real.

As another tear fell, she quickly dabbed at her cheeks and opened her mouth to say something, but her phone blasted from her pocket, bringing both of them back to reality Walter finally released her hand and pulled his palm away from her cheek as she turned to check her phone. She sniffed loudly and wiped her cheeks once more before muttering, "It's Drew… I should probably take this… Uh… I haven't told him yet."

"Okay," Walter nodded, giving her a forced smile.

"Thank you." Paige mumbled as she rose to her feet and headed for the door. "I'll be right outside."

"Okay."

Paige squeezed through the door and its frame as she answered Drew's call and stepped into the hallway. "Hello?"

"Paige?"

"Yes?"

"Is everything all right?"

Paige bit her lip. Now it was. "Yeah."

"Was your plane delayed?" She couldn't tell if he was just fishing for excuses or if he was actually genuinely concerned. Perhaps it was a little bit of both. She didn't know… and frankly, she was too exhausted to care. It didn't really matter what was going on in Drew's mind, she still owed him an explanation.

"No," she muttered, bracing herself for whatever response she was going to receive from the other end of the line, "It was on time."

Surprisingly, Drew was rather calm. Almost too calm. "…You're not coming, are you."

"No." Paige combed her fingers through her hair and leaned against the wall, "We're not."

Drew's exacerbated sigh did not go unnoticed. She could tell he was struggling to respond. "…Can I… Can I at least ask why?"

"We were going to… I mean… we had arrived to the airport and all, but…" Paige's voice faded.

"But what?" Drew snapped but then he swiftly apologized. "Sorry."

"…but we saw Walter on the news, a—"

Drew's sudden chuckle sent shivers down her spine but not in a good way. "Seriously? _He's _what changed your mind?" He laughed harder. "He's not even your type, Paige."

"Dammit, Drew!" Paige exclaimed louder than she had intended. A few nurses glanced at her so she rapidly spun around and leaned towards the wall as she lowered her voice while still maintaining her steel tone, "Just listen to me for once!" She inhaled a deep breath and continued when her ex didn't say anything. "Walter almost died yesterday!"

"So you're staying out of pity?" was Drew's first reply.

"Not even," Paige groaned and rubbed her temple. "We're staying because of Ralph. Ralph _needs_ Scorpion… he needs Walter… Trying to take him away from one of the only constants in his life is wrong…," Paige closed her eyes and tried to wave away the memory of the argument she'd had with Walter the other night. She released the breath she didn't know she was holding and added, "What Ralph needs can't be offered in Portland."

"What about that school I told you about; he'd be surrounded by other gifted children his age. Isn't that the same thing?" Drew wasn't understanding what Paige was saying. They simply weren't on the same page anymore.

"No, Drew. It's not." Paige sighed. "While the idea of having Ralph surrounded by intellects his age seems nice, it's not the same. Ralph needs intellectual guidance – guidance in which we can't give him on our own."

"There are smart teachers at that school, Paige." Drew retorted, "He can get the guidance he needs from _them_."

"Why are you so bitter towards Scorpion? Towards Walter?" Paige bit her lip after her little slip but quickly recovered. "They are good people who do wonderful and unbelievable things. You shouldn't be so quick to judge them."

"I'm _not _bitter."

"Yes you are." Paige pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled a long sigh. "I get that you're jealous of them because they can offer Ralph something neither one of us can, but shouldn't that be a good thing? Because of Scorpion…" She paused with a smile as she thought about Walter, "…Ralph has opened up more; he's happy and has made quite a few friends."

"He can make more friends in Portland." Drew scoffed.

Did he…Did he just scoff at her? Paige groaned. "Had you come back like you said you would, you would know he doesn't make friends too easily." She pushed her hair back. "I'm sorry… That was uncalled for." But totally deserving. "I appreciate everything you've done to be a part of Ralph's life, and I hope you will want to continue being in his life, but I can't leave Los Angeles. I can't take his life… his happiness away from him, and you shouldn't want to either."

"You seemed pretty on board with the plan to move to Portland the other day," Drew mumbled under his breath, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"I wasn't in the right frame of mind," Paige couldn't believe she had to defend herself, but it was Drew… she shouldn't be surprised. "I was panicking, and at the time, I thought Portland might be the safest option for him, but that doesn't mean it was the right one. I've already spoken to Ralph about what he did, and Walter said he'd talk to him too. Believe me, Ralph _will_ be monitored more carefully but removing him from Scorpion isn't something I can do. Staying in LA is what's best for Ralph."

"Having two parents is what's best for Ralph," Drew snapped over the phone.

Paige rolled her eyes. "As if you would know."

"I'm just saying Ralph needs stability, and Scorpion is a group of unstable misfits who constantly risk their lives and act like children." Drew's accusations towards Paige's new family made her heart sank. He just didn't get it.

For reasons unknown to her, she laughed hysterically. "Unbelievable."

"Excuse me?"

"You really have no clue, do you?" Paige's laugher died as words of fire roared from her mouth. "You have _no _right to say those words to me, especially since you abandoned us all those years ago."

"I didn't abandon y—," Drew was quick to defend himself, but she cut him off.

"Yes you did." And now that the lid was popped open, she couldn't stop her tirade. "You left us for a stupid sport because you didn't have enough balls to support a child who didn't meet your standards. You don't have the right to tell me what's best for Ralph, Drew. He's _my _son; you lost the privilege to parent him when you decided baseball was more important to you than Ralph. And when you came back, I thought, maybe, you had changed… I thought having Ralph getting to know his father would be a good thing, but you haven't changed at all. Like always, you brought us nothing but disappointment. Once you had a shot with the major leagues, _that_ was all you could think about. And who was to say the cycle wouldn't end there? Your coaching job would still require you to move from place to place during baseball season; Ralph and I would be right where we started – so who the hell are you to accuse one of the only good things in Ralph's life and say things like 'Ralph needs stability' or 'Ralph needs two parents'? Other than for few months, you haven't really given him _anything _like that!"

"So you're saying I should have thrown away something I love… something I thrive in and give up my only source of income just to what? To parent a love child neither one of us was planning to have? A child who just stared at the wall and acted like we didn't exist? Wow… that's really selfish of you, Paige." Drew's comment enraged Paige, and she was tempted to hop on a plane, travel to Portland and strangle the man for insulting her.

"I never pegged you as a coward, Drew, but it seems my first thought about you never coming back was right – you found an opportunity to abandon your life so you took it." She closed her eyes to keep herself from crying. "I… I loved you, Drew…, and when I realized you weren't coming back, it tore me apart. I had to make myself believe you left because of something _I _had done because I didn't dare want to think your reasons for leaving had anything to do with Ralph, and I couldn't let _him _think that either. You were a hard part of my life I had to put behind me, but I wouldn't change anything; I've moved on, and my head isn't in the clouds anymore. I was loyal to you, Drew. When we found out I was pregnant, I left my family and followed you around so you could play your goddamn sport. I thought that after Ralph was born, things would change, you know? I thought you'd actually find something more important than baseball, but I was wrong.

"Even today, you haven't changed; you're still wearing your ass as a hat, and I'm tired of the constant tug-o-war you're having with Scorpion. We've been going about Ralph's best interests the wrong way; _we _shouldn't be the ones deciding where we think he should be…. The only one who knows Ralph's best interests at heart is Ralph, and Ralph wants to stay in LA so that is where we'll be staying. If you want to be a part of Ralph's life, fine. We can make some sort of working arrangement another day, but nothing you say will change my mind. I'm not young and naïve anymore, and I certainly won't fall for your boyish charm because those days are over. Any future you and I have will be strictly parental, but based on your parenting history so far, I don't have many high hopes."

Drew was silent for a few seconds but eventually said, "What poison does this Walter guy have you on?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Drew spat. "Clearly, he doesn't like me, and he obviously hates jocks. All nerds do. Basically, everything you've said to me so far sounds a lot more like Walter than it does you."

"Those words are my own; Walter has nothing to do with this discussion." Paige should have expected Drew to displace the blame onto someone else; he always hated owning up to his mistakes, and if he could find someone else to blame, he usually did.

"Oh, I disagree. He has _everything _to do with this discussion." She could imagine her ex rolling his eyes at her. She really didn't have time for this right now. "He clearly likes you and wants you all to himself; he's possessive and can't stand sharing you and Ralph with other people."

"Other people being who? You?" Paige sourly noted. "How Walter does or doesn't feel about me and Ralph has nothing to do with what we're talking about. And even if he _was _possessive, which he's not," (to a degree), "but if he was, at least Ralph and I would feel wanted by someone for a change." She closed her eyes and couldn't believe she had said that. She quickly changed the subject. "But like I said, it has nothing to do with Walter; it has _everything _to do with the fact that Ralph loves it here and wants to stay."

"Okay. Ralph loves LA. What about you? What do _you _want?" Drew swiftly spun the conversation around, and she felt like bright neon arrows were suddenly jabbing every surface of her body.

"I want to stay too," Paige said quietly. "But this conversation shouldn't even be _about_ what I want, Drew. I am not your concern. You should be glad Ralph has somewhere he can thrive; there are _people _here who care a lot about him and only want him to reach his highest potential. One day, Ralph will be doing great things – things you and I won't be able to comprehend. It shouldn't be a question as to where he should or shouldn't live; it's obvious he's made his choice, and as his father, you should respect Ralph's decision regardless of how you feel about it." Paige rubbed her temples and tried to ease the headache Drew always seemed to give her.

Again, Drew tried to reroute the subject back to Walter. "What do you see in him, anyway? He's leagues beneath you, and because of his awkward personality, whatever fantasy you're dreaming of will never work; I know you, Paige. You've always desired wild men, and Walter is anything but. So why him?"

"I don't have to answer you," Paige grumbled, wanting nothing more than to end the conversation and turn her phone off for the rest of the day. She was certainly tempted. "What I do or do not feel for Walter, and what he does or does not feel for me would not impose on my duty for my son. If… in a different life… Ralph had wanted to go to Portland, then we would go, but he doesn't so we won't. End of discussion."

Drew wasn't listening to her anymore; he only pressed for more answers. "…What does he have that I don't?"

Paige sighed. "He's… No. We're not having this discussion. This isn't about you and me or me and Walter; it's about Ralph. You don't have the right to know anything else about my life so unless you have something you want to say about the son you abandoned, this conversation is over."

"Fine." Drew's response was quick and dispassionate. "Whatever. Fair enough." Paige was about to end the call when he suddenly asked, "Do you love him?"

Paige clenched her teeth and sighed. If she said no, she would only be lying to herself. But if she said yes, she would be robbing Walter the chance of finding out her feelings first (even if they were visually evident to everyone else). So she eventually said, "I don't know…, but I'd like to think of him as my best friend. Next to Ralph, he's the second most important person to me." It was technically true, but she already knew how she felt about Walter (Drew didn't need to know that, though).

"That's not what I asked."

"It's the only answer you're getting," Paige retorted as she took a step away from the wall. "Listen…, we can talk more about parenting arrangements for Ralph later. I've gotta go." Without waiting for her ex's reply, she ended the call and then turned off her phone before shoving it back into her pocket. Her heart leapt out of her chest when she noticed the door to Walter's hospital room wasn't completely closed. She hoped to God Walter didn't overhear her part of the conversation with Drew, but knowing the man inside the room told her otherwise.

Great. Just great.

Quietly, she hesitantly slipped inside Walter's room and found him watching her intently as she returned to his side. His eyes told her he _had _heard her while she was talking to Drew. Perhaps it was a good thing.

They didn't speak for minutes after she sat down next to him until she eventually said, "You heard all that, didn't you."

Walter's dark eyes found hers, and he nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh. Okay." Paige muttered softly as she pulled her knees to her chest. She didn't dare ask him what he thought about it, though.

"You, uh," he pursed his lips and gave her a small smile. "You handled things pretty well with him."

Paige couldn't help but smile. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I do." He chuckled. "Uh, if he ever bothers you…, just give your phone to me; I can put him in his place."

Paige laughed and surprised herself when she climbed into his hospital bed and rested her cheek against his shoulder. She felt Walter's eyes on her as she draped her arm over his torso and entwined their fingers together. "I think, for now, we should just focus on you getting better."

"Okay," was the only response Walter's brain could summon as he froze under her touch. They lay together in silence as Paige closed her eyes; she could feel him gradually relaxing under her arm, and she secretly grinned when she felt his fingers slowly combing through her hair.

"For the record," Paige sweetly smiled as she lifted her head a little to meet his gaze, "I'm glad you're alive."

Walter's lips curled upward. "Me too." As she lowered her head and rested against his chest, Walter brought his lips to her forehead and grazed her hairline with a fleeting kiss. Several minutes of silence passed between them until Walter quietly uttered her name.

"Hm?" Paige bit her bottom lip and slightly lifted off of Walter's chest to meet his intense gaze. "What is it, Walter?"

"Um…" He pressed his lips together and swallowed. "Uh…"

Paige suddenly clamped his lips with her palm and gave him a reassuring smile. "Tell me when you're ready. Okay?"

He nodded curtly and mumbled against her skin, "Okay."

Paige removed her palm from his mouth and leaned back down against the man's chest. She brazenly gave him a fleeting kiss against the base of his neck and was tempted to plant one on his lips but dismissed her temptation as she mindlessly pulled him closer to her.

Maybe one day she'd tell him how she felt about him; just not today.

Not yet.

But someday.

Both of them welcomed the silence that filled the room, but the words that followed and fumbled out of Walter's mouth were more precious than any reticence ever between them.

"Paige?"

"Yeah?" This time, she didn't look up.

Her heart thumped hard against her chest as he brought their conjoined fingers over his own heart. "You're my best friend too."

…

She smiled.

**~ SCORPION~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Writing this took a lot longer than expected, but I had fun either way! :)

Let me know what you think!


	22. Bogus Hocus Pocus

**WriterFreak001: **

I had fun writing this request. :)

* * *

**Title** | Bogus Hocus Pocus

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Walter &amp; Paige going to a haunted attraction drabble. (requested by screamfan1234 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for some mild language and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Bogus Hocus Pocus**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Walter rolled his eyes as he and Paige waited in line to enter LA's _supposedly_ scariest haunted attraction in history. "I can't believe you dragged me into this."

"Well, if you're not interested," Paige shrugged and sidestepped away from him, "I'll just go find the first random hot guy willing to let me cling all over him when I'm scared." She barely stepped two feet away from him when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him. She smirked and hooked her arms around his neck. "Thought so."

"I still think this is a complete waste of time, but if going in _there _is something you really want to do, then I can at least _try _to enjoy it," Walter muttered under his breath as his fingers latched together and rested at the small of her back.

"That's all I ever ask," Paige laughed and lightly kissed his cheek. "Think you'll get scared?"

Walter blinked. "Not likely. Everything in this attraction is nothing more than scary music, underpaid college students and terrible lighting; it's hard to be afraid of things that aren't real." Walter nodded towards the entrance. "We're almost there."

"Right," Paige laughed as she unhooked her hands from around his neck and slid her arm behind his back, pulling herself close to him. Walter copied the same gesture, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Though, I do have to say, this is certainly going to be an experience."

"How so?" Walter glanced at her as they passed the gate and slowly followed the line up to the entrance of the attraction.

"Well, you say you're Mr. No Fear, but I wonder... just how fearless you are. Who knows, maybe it'll be _you _clinging to _me_ by the end of the attraction." Paige shrugged and pecked his shoulder.

"I... hope not."

**~ SCORPION ~**

"Is he all right?" Sylvester stammered as the team gathered around Walter. "He doesn't look too hot."

"It's like he's down the rabbit hole... but not...," Happy muttered while waving her hand in front of his face. No reaction.

"No. If this was the rabbit hole, he'd be at his board," Toby mumbled, touching his chin. Then he looked at Paige. "The hell did you do to him?"

Paige pursed her lips as she mindlessly ran her fingers through Walter's hair. Even under her touch, he didn't respond. "Well... I took him to a haunted attraction last night... He didn't fair too well inside, and by the time it was finished, he became _that_." She pointed to her boyfriend. "I thought, by the time we get back here, he'd be fine, but he wasn't. And now it's morning, and he's still out of it." She bowed her head shamefully. "Perhaps... going to a haunted mansion wasn't a good idea."

Toby hummed lowly. "Well... my best guess? That haunted attraction was more than what 197 could handle. He's never really experienced a fresh shot of fear before so his mind most likely was on overdrive as he tried processing the fear he experienced last night. Tell me," Toby paused and refrained from laughing, "Did he scream like a girl?"

"That's not relevant," Happy jabbed at the doctor's side.

"Will Walter be okay?" Sylvester bit at his nails.

"Dunno." Toby shrugged. "There's only one way to tell."

"How?" Paige, Sly and Happy asked just as Toby backhanded the super genius with brute force.

"You have no freaking idea how long I've wanted to do that," Toby muttered proudly and jammed his hands into his pockets. Paige just stared at him, Sylvester ran straight for his desk and Happy was definitely impressed. "When he wakes up, he should be back to normal... ish. Or not. Only time will tell."

"And if he's not?" Paige blinked at the shrink as she rolled her boyfriend over onto his back.

"Dunno. Sex might work." Toby deadpanned and then sprinted for his desk before Paige could think to throw something at him.

"I'll go get some ice," Happy said and walked away without another comment.

Paige closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as Walter's head rested on her lap.

It was going to be a long day.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter grumbled and forced his eyes awake as the back of his head throbbed like no tomorrow. He didn't remember getting into bed, but that was where he was. He found Paige sleeping next to him with her arm draped over his stomach. When he stirred, her eyes opened.

"Hey," she smiled, pulling herself closer to him. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts..., but other than that, fine." Walter mumbled as he coddled his head.

"So you don't feel a need to freak out or go into some sort of catatonic trance, do you?" Paige cocked an eyebrow suspiciously as Walter shook his head.

"No. Why?"

"Well... after the haunted attraction we went to last night, you sort of... blanked. Toby thinks you experienced an overdrive of fear." Paige bit her lip as her eyes locked with his.

"That was a temporary response," Walter quickly said, detecting his girlfriend was blaming herself for his reaction. He smirked and chuckled "I'm fine, now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup." Walter grinned, earning a short, fleeting kiss from Paige.

"Good," she kissed him again. "I'm glad."

"Did I, um," he touched the back of his head, "fall or something?"

"Or something," Paige answered almost too quickly. "Toby backhanded you... Thought it was the only way to get you out of your trance."

"Is he still here?" Walter cocked an eyebrow, and Paige nodded. He smiled. "Excuse me for a moment." Without another word, he sprinted from his room to the lower level of the garage, shouting Toby's name.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"So you think my technique worked on 197?" Toby asked as he stretched his back and leaned against Happy's desk. "Clever, right?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Happy muttered, avoiding the doc's eye contact. "But if Walt finds out, and he will, you're dead."

"Puh-lease," Toby rolled his eyes and snickered, "I completely and wholeheartedly trust Paige; she won't tell h-"

"TOBY!"

"Traitor," Toby mumbled under his breath and grabbed his hat from off of Happy's head. "Looks like our special Halloween evening will have to wait a few hours."

And as Walter scrambled down the stairs, Toby was long gone.

Happy just rolled her eyes and grumbled, "I hate Halloween."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I really wrote this in a matter of ten minutes soooo… be nice.


	23. I'm Lucky Too

**WriterFreak001: **

I stayed up to about 4 am this morning writing this and posted it onto Tumblr but was too tired to function to post it onto FFN or AO3 so that's why it's a little late. My next project will be to write the next chapter of _Poaching_. I've just been so busy that I only had enough brain power to write one-shots the last several days because my brain didn't want to deal with trying to remember what happened in my series so far, lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this; it might be a little shoddy since I wrote it when I was half asleep.

* * *

**Title** | I'm Lucky Too

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | A client hits on Paige in front of the entire team after a case. Requested by anonymous on Tumblr.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for some sexual themes and fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**I'm Lucky Too**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"I'd like to thank you for coming out here so quickly on such short notice," Zach, Scorpion's most recent (and very rich) client, smiled and shook Walter's hand as the team packed up the van.

"If your new system malfunctions, be sure to give us a call." Walter said, folding his arms in front of him. He shifted his weight to the center of his feet and added, "And feel free to contact Scorpion for anything else you might need.

"Will do," Zach grinned, giving Walter a thumb's up. "I'll have my guy send you all checks by the end of the week."

"Out of curiosity," Toby lifted his eyebrows and walked up to the client. "How much are you planning on paying us?"

Happy suddenly grabbed Toby's arm and yanked him backwards, calling him an idiot as Walter rolled his eyes with dismay. "Ignore him," Walter sighed and scratched the side of his face, "He has issues."

Zach laughed. "We all have issues, don't we?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Toby smirked as he managed to free himself from Happy's grasp. "Dr. Tobias M. Curtis, by the way." He slid a business card into Zach's shirt pocket. "If you ever need a shrink - and a good one, too - give me a call. I promise, I actually know what I'm talking about most of the time. It's only when I'm around _him_," Toby paused and directed a dirty look at Walter, "do I seem out of my element."

"You're never in your element to begin with," Happy mumbled from the side, earning a quick glare from Toby. "Ish," was all she added as she curled a strand of her long dark hair behind her ear.

Toby grabbed his chest and feigned shock. "I'm insulted!"

"No, you're not." Happy set her jaw as Toby cocked an eyebrow.

"How would you know?" Toby asked and marched up to the mechanic with fists against his hips. As the two entered into a separate conversation, Walter redirected his attention to Zach and exhaled loudly.

"They're usually more professional than this," Walter rubbed his temple and tightened his jaw.

"By the way they're acting," Zach chuckled towards the bickering geniuses, "I'd have to say they're either married or dating or exes."

Both Toby and Happy shot stares at their client.

"We are not married. We are certainly not dating, and we have never been on a date together," Happy spat and frowned.

"Well, there was that one time," Toby conveniently forgot what he was going to say the moment Happy shot a glare at him.

"Shut it, doc!"

"Okay," Paige suddenly exclaimed as she circled around the back of the van and stepped between the shrink and the mechanic. "I think you two should take a beat and just… go inside the van. Okay? Okay."

"Toby started it," Happy muttered as she made her way to the driver's seat. Toby rolled his eyes and climbed into the van, sitting as far away from Happy as possible. It was best he avoided her line of sight for a few hours until she had time to cool down. He didn't doubt she was still torqued about him sleeping through their date. He sighed. Maybe one day she'll forgive and forget. Toby hoped he wouldn't have to wait an eternity, though (but he would if he had to because she was so damn worth all of the blood and tears that awaited in his future).

Cabe hopped into the front passenger side of the vehicle, and Sylvester quietly stepped into the van and slid down the front row towards the window. Walter and Paige, as usual, were still outside.

"Well, I guess that's that," Walter shook Zach's hand again and directed his attention to Paige. "You ready?"

"Yep." She smiled. "Everything has been loaded."

"Okay." Walter nodded and jammed his hands into his pockets as he waited for Paige to enter the van. She turned to climb inside when Zach lightly touched her arm and called her name. The physical gesture did not go unnoticed by Walter.

"Yes?" Paige blinked, spinning around to see what the client wanted. "What is it?"

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"

The entire team grew silent and the ones in the van crawled towards the opening to observe. Unluckily for Walter, he had a front row seat.

Paige's cheeks flushed as she nervously combed her hand through her hair. "N-not in a long time," was all she said before daring to look at Walter. The Irish genius was just staring at her. Oh what she would do to find out what exactly was going through that genius's mind right about now.

Zach caught her attention again when he reached for her palm. She wasn't sure how to react when he dropped down to kiss the back of her hand. Paige wanted to dive under a rock and never resurface. "What a shame," he muttered softly, wearing a cocky grin as he rose to his feet. He did not release her hand though. "Why don't you stay and we can go out to dinner. I know a lovely place and dining with you would be absolute perfection."

"Um…," Paige bit her lip and forced herself to look towards Walter. His eyes were trained on her hand… well, more like… Zach's hand holding hers. "As nice as your offer is," Paige spoke slowly, pulling her hand back to her side, "I'd have to decline."

She then crossed one of her arms around her body and shifted her eyes toward Walter; he was now looking directly at her with such strange intensity. She secretly loved how he often looked at her like that. Her fleeting glances towards Walter weren't very discreet, but the team knew not to say anything about it.

Though, Zach, who also noticed Paige's brief exchanges with Walter, sighed. "There's someone else, isn't there."

It wasn't a question that needed to be answered, but Paige answered it anyway. "Kind of. Yeah." All eyes looking at her widened. Even Walter's eyes popped open from her big reveal.

No one but Toby noticed Zach quickly shifting his attention towards Walter. "Lucky guy."

"No," Paige geared a smile towards Walter and then added, "Lucky me."

A brief moment of silence shrouded everyone before Zach broke the silence. "Well… this just got weird."

Walter finally found his voice. "Okay. Well. We've gotta go, Paige."

"Right," Paige nodded and turned towards the car as Toby scrambled to his seat in the back of the van to make room for both Walter and her.

Zach touched her hand again, and she stopped. She didn't turn all the way around though. The client didn't say anything; he just looked at her with soft eyes. Paige felt very awkward.

Walter, thank God, was the first to say something. "We really need to go."

"Right," Zach nodded with a smile and kissed Paige's hand again.

Walter was tempted to push the client onto the ground but the fact that he was a high-paying customer stopped him. Rich men like Zachary Bennett don't often require Scorpion's expertise so he would be a great loss had Walter lost his temper (the only other client richer than Zach was Elia, but the team hadn't heard from him since the _accident_). "Okay," Walter feigned a smile, but even after the millionaire kissed Paige's hand, he still kept it hostage. "We gotta go. Yep. Yeah. Okay." Walter said, but Zach squeezed Paige's hand instead of releasing it like Walter had inwardly strategized. "Okay." Walter glanced at Paige, and she silently begged him to save her.

"Okay, that's enough!" Cabe barked before Walter had the chance to break Zach away from Paige. "The kid wasn't kidding; we've really gotta go!"

Zach finally said to Paige as he released her hand, "Perhaps one day things might be different for us."

Walter forced a chuckle and found himself looking straight at Zach and saying with complete seriousness, "Don't bet on it."

Without another word, Walter motioned for Paige to get in, so she did, and he scooted next to her before closing the doors behind him. Everyone was still staring at Paige. "Oh, shut up," she snapped at them with bright red cheeks.

Walter was the only one who didn't stop staring at her. He watched her intently as she blatantly ignored him. He wasn't sure if she was just embarrassed or if it was something else, but he kept quiet the entire ride back to the garage, replaying the last ten minutes over and over and over again, trying to find some sort of meaning to Paige's response.

He spent the next few hours at his desk outlining the entire conversation between Paige and Zach, but he wasn't sure who Paige was talking about. He wasn't stupid; he did consider himself into the equation, but there was a small, itching feeling that made him think of Drew. He shuddered at the thought of the man. Drew wasn't really in Paige's life anymore so it couldn't have been him…, and he was pretty sure Paige didn't see Toby or Sly in a romantic way. There's a slight possibility, preferably 23%, she was talking about Ralph - in simplest terms, Ralph _was_ her number one. But what if there was someone else? Surely not. He would know if there was someone else in her life. Then again, he didn't know she was taking night classes until the day of her final examination so there's a 32% chance she'd met someone and had kept him a secret under Scorpion's nose. It wasn't likely, but it wasn't altogether impossible either.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Long after Toby, Happy, Cabe and Sly left the garage, he spotted Paige still at her desk working on paperwork. He decided there was only one efficient solution. He slowly rose to his feet and made his way over to her desk. She looked up at him almost instantly. "Yes?"

"Who is he?" Walter nearly blurted out as he crossed his arms.

"Hm?"

"You said to Zach there was someone special in your life so unless you were thinking about Ralph, which is likely but not certain, who were you talking about?" Walter asked, ending his question with a forced smile. He didn't want to seem demanding, but he needed to know.

Paige laughed and stood up as she straightened out a stack of papers. "For a guy who's so smart, Walter," she circled around her desk and stopped in front of him, "you're pretty dense."

"Come again?" Walter cocked a brow.

Paige hooked her arms around his neck and smiled. "You heard me."

Walter glanced at her arm touching his neck and nearly forgot how to breathe when he felt her fingers curling through his hair. "Uh…," he stammered, "I-Is he someone I kn-know?"

"You tell me," Paige mumbled as she slid her palms to his cheeks and cupped his face.

"You're, uh, n-not making any sense," Walter uttered, unable to tear his eyes from hers.

"Then maybe this will," Paige whispered before gently closing the distance between them with a soft kiss against his lips. He froze, causing her to pull back. "You," she caressed his cheek, "I was talking about you, Walter."

He stuttered horribly, searching for a response, but his mind was still trying to process everything. She giggled and then boldly pushed him against the column next to her desk. His eyes popped wide open as she pressed herself against him and brought her lips to his ear, kissing and sucking on his earlobe. His mouth fell slightly open, and he forgot how to breathe. He swore he felt her tongue as she trailed searing kisses across his jawline. Her fingers loosened his shirt and pushed it off of him before grabbing his cheeks for a wet, hot kiss. She mumbled his name against his lips several times, each time a little louder than the first.

"WALTER!"

Walter suddenly sprung from his desk as Paige practically screamed his name from her desk. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. He was only dreaming… Disappointment flooded throughout his entire being, but Paige didn't need to know that. "Did you say something?"

"I said I'm going to pick up Ralph and then go home." Paige slid her purse over her shoulder and walked towards him. "Are you all right?"

He pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"You…," she giggled, "You seem disoriented… and you've got drool on your face."

Walter's eyes widened as he quickly wiped off his mouth. "This never happened."

She laughed. "Good dream, yes?"

Walter thought about lying to her, but he only nodded with a small smile. "The best."

"Good." She smiled sweetly and locked eyes with him for a few minutes before turning to leave.

"Paige?" Walter found himself calling out to her.

"Yes?"

He paused. He didn't really think about what he had wanted to say. "Uh… H-have a good night."

Paige blinked and then smiled. "You too, Walter." She placed her hand on the handle when he called out her name again, racing towards her. "Hm?"

Without so much as a thought, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. It took him a moment to figure out what he had wanted to say. He could give her a brief discourse on how luck doesn't exist but add a little "in this situation" tidbit to his statement at the end, but he decided against it and went for a little simpler response. "…I… I'm lucky too."

…

Paige smiled.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

And there you are! Let me know what you think!


	24. Girl Talk

**WriterFreak001: **

Just a short drabble. Onto writing _Poaching_ next.

* * *

**Title** | Girl Talk

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Happy gives Paige a pep talk about Walter. Requested by anonymous on Tumblr. (There will be little hints of QUINTIS in this fic)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Girl Talk**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"What are you doing?" Happy narrowed her eyes at Paige as the young mother crossed over to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. "We're not supposed to drink during office hours."

"It's nearly ten at night," Paige laughed as she popped open the bottle and poured the wine into the two glasses. "I'd hardly call it office hours."

"Still," Happy crossed her arms and slowly made her way towards Paige, "Walter doesn't allow alcohol in the garage."

"And yet, here it is," Paige lightly chuckled, placing the bottle on the counter. "If that was the case, he would have barked at me when he saw me put it in the cabinet this morning."

Happy set her jaw. "Had it been anybody else, he would have made them go outside and pour all of it onto the concrete."

"Or, he was just being nice," Paige shrugged, handing Happy a glass. "Walter already knows about the wine; I told him I bought it for tonight since he, Toby, Sylvester and Ralph were planning on going to the observatory. He may have turned his nose a little, but he didn't say anything else about it."

"That's because he gives you special treatment," Happy mumbled, taking a sip of the wine. "He couldn't say 'no' to you even if his life depended on it."

"I doubt that," Paige muttered even though she recognized _some _truth to Happy's observation.

"I meant what I said several weeks ago, Paige." Happy said as she leaned against the counter, "You messed with his head. He's different because of you…," she paused and glanced at the young mother, "but in a good way, I guess."

"Thanks… I think." Paige's face contorted, but she covered her expression with her glass. "So," Paige felt like now was a good opportunity as any, "Toby doesn't seem to be giving up."

"Nope."

"And since the two of you babysat Ralph for me a while back, you seem to have forgiven him… to some extent." Paige was careful with her words, but she wasn't going to shy away from the subject that easily.

"Between you and me, I've already moved passed that; I know how sorry the doc is, and I also know he didn't mean to stand me up, and I'll admit, he was a big fat idiot for multiple reasons I care not to list, but I have bigger things to worry about than some stupid date." Happy confessed, knowing Paige - if she was as smart as she seemed - wouldn't dare tell a soul what she had just said if she wanted to live to see Ralph graduate elementary school. "But…, even though I've moved on, it doesn't mean I'm ready to let _him _know it yet."

"And why not?" Paige pressed and sipped her wine.

"The doc needs to squirm," Happy deadpanned and reached for the bottle to pour herself another glass. "There's no way I'm going to let him off easy; if he wants… us… to go somewhere, he's gotta work for it. I gave him one freebie," She paused, reflecting on the hot kiss she had shared with him many months ago. "I won't do it again."

"Seems… logical." Paige hummed, taking the bottle from Happy. "So, basically, you want him to grow a pair and literally show you he means business when he says he wants you back."

"Right now, the doc's all bark, no bite." Happy downed her glass and grabbed the bottle from Paige. "He says he wants me back, but other than trying to talk to me, he does nothing. Not a damn thing. I don't want him to bark. I want him to bite, and hard, too."

"Okay… TMI." Paige pushed her hair back and then sipped her glass.

"What about you?" Happy suddenly said.

"What _about _me?" Paige cocked an eyebrow and took the bottle from Happy, knowing the mechanic would die of sheer embarrassment if the guys came back and found her drunk; Happy frowned when Paige put the bottle back in the cabinet, but she didn't care; she was saving Happy's dignity.

"You like Walt, and Walt likes you. Do the math." Happy said before finishing her last glass, grateful Paige took the alcohol away from her. Had she downed the rest of the bottle, Happy Hour would have had a whole new meaning to it in the garage.

"…It's… complicated."

"No. The math is simple. Nothing is complicated about it." Happy set her glass on the counter and then crossed her arms. "I may not be the best when it comes to romance and stuff, but I see the way he looks at you, and I see the way you look at him. That doesn't seem complicated to me." She paused. "Unless… you have something for Drew; if that was the case, then yeah, I can see where things could be awkward."

"Anything I felt for Drew died a long time ago; the only connection I have with him is Ralph." Paige didn't really like how suddenly the conversation had shifted to her.

"Then how is it complicated?" Now, Happy was the one pressing for answers.

"It just is." Paige shrugged.

"Or maybe it isn't, and you're making a great deal out of nothing." Happy blinked.

Paige sighed. "It's just that… Walter has a huge burden constantly weighing on his shoulders due to his enormous IQ… He's has a great purpose in the world, and well, I can hardly compete with that."

"First off, you're right. You can't compete with Walter. Hell, hardly anyone can." Happy hated complaining; she was going to tell it to Paige straight. "Intellectually, there's no way in hell you'd ever compete with Walter. It's not possible. Speaking from experience, Walt probably thinks the same thing about you, too. You, too, have a huge burden to carry, and I'm not talking about raising Ralph, either. Not that he's a burden, but you know what I mean. Unlike any of us, you're tasked with translating the world for Walter. Half the things Walt does for the world - well, right now, just for the LA area, he can't do it successfully without you." Happy combed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "I don't say this often, but you were right, Paige. Before you started working for Scorpion, we were a mess. I was probably the only one who could handle myself for the most part. Everyone else was a train wreck, and that's me putting it lightly. Walt, Sly and the doc and I may have a combined IQ of over 700, but _you're _the one who has to balance _all _of us out on the EQ side. That's a pretty big burden if you ask me…, and I bet you Walt thinks the same thing; while he can't succeed without you, he also can't compete with you either. But he shouldn't have to. He can't. It's not any more possible than you trying to compete with _him_. So, sorry, Paige; I don't see how your relationship with Walt is complicated. You humanize him, and well, he, uh, he helps you out with Ralph."

Paige blinked. Never before had she ever heard so many words fly out of Happy's mouth all at once. Paige smiled. "I guess you're right."

"No. I _am _right." Happy gave Paige a small smile. "Now, I will deny ever having this conversation with you if you so much as breathe a word to anybody about it, but a word of advice? Don't beat around the bush too long. Walter's a smart guy, but he's pretty dense; he may get the impression you're not interested in him if you don't do something about it." She paused and then added, "I don't know what sort of sob story you have, but as a genius, abandonment sucks. Don't abandon Walt again," Happy was referring to Paige's little stunt when she said she was going to move to Portland. "He's my friend, and I will kick your pretty white ass if you hurt him again."

Paige wiped a tear from her eye, torn at the thought of her friends living such hard lives (though her life was no cakewalk either). "Noted."

"Another piece of advice," Happy glanced at Paige and pursed her lips, "when he comes back later tonight, take a risk and let him know you reciprocate his feelings; he may deny liking you to everybody else, but if you make it apparent that you like him, he'll most likely pull that stick out of his ass and outwardly admit his so-called nonexistent feelings for you."

Paige chuckled. "We'll see." She tried to change the subject. "So, after all of this, are you going to follow your own advice?"

"Not a chance." Happy flipped her hair back and then shrugged. "I enjoy watching the doc squirm."

"Of course," Paige laughed and turned to clean her glass when she spotted Happy heading back into the office area. She stopped what she was doing and called out to the woman.

Happy turned and glanced at Paige. "Hm?"

"For a mechanic," Paige crossed her arms and smirked, "You give some pretty good advice."

Happy shrugged and grew silent for a moment.

Then she said, "I listen to the doc sometimes."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed writing this one.


	25. Letting Nature Take Its Course, My Ass!

**WriterFreak001: **

Nothing new.

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**Title** | Letting Nature Take Its Course, My Ass

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | I wrote a Tumblr post a while back, and I was asked to write it as a fanfiction story. I will include the original post at the bottom. Requested by captain-swan-obrien on Tumblr.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for romantic themes. Enough said.

**POV** | Omnicient Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Letting Nature Take Its Course, My Ass**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Toby had been observing Walter and Paige's interactions for several months, and he was growing tired of waiting for his friends to actually admit they have feelings for one another and hook up. He knew Walter was extremely fond of Paige, and it was extremely obvious Paige had a thing for 197 as well. The list of things Walter and Paige did together or for each other was extensive, but neither one of them seemed to be open about their feelings. The whole cyclone knew Walter and Paige were growing closer together, but if something didn't happen _soon_, Toby was worried _nothing_would happen at all.

He understood, though, why both of them were shy about coming forward with their feelings. Walter never really had any success in the romance department; it made sense why he wouldn't want to jeopardize the relationship he had with Miss Dineen. Messing up a good thing was never fun, but Toby firmly believed Paige was worth Walter taking the risk. Aside from the emotional dumpster fire's reasons for beating around the bush, Paige had already had a failing relationship with Ralph's father; with that damn jock abandoning Ralph and her for some stupid sport, it was no wonder why she was hesitant with Walter. She, too, in her own way, didn't want to pour her heart into a relationship that could very well backfire in the future. Both of his friends had been burned one too many times, but Toby was certain Walter and Paige were meant for each other.

Walter might not believe in destiny or fate, but Toby did.

And Toby didn't doubt the strange power of destiny for a second; Walter and Paige were meant to be together. Simple as that.

However, at the rate Walter and Paige were going, one of them would have to _trip_and land on the other in order for _anything_to happen. Perhaps they'd even be lucky enough to run into each other naked (but Toby highly doubted he'd be able to make _that_sort of magic happen).

"You need to stop staring at them," Happy mumbled, handing Ferret Bueller to Toby. "It's creepy and obsessive."

"Me wanting my friends to be happy is obsessive?" Toby touched his chest and feigned shock.

"No. You trying to be a match maker, is." Happy rolled her eyes and glanced at their friends. Walter was walking in circles, playing with his new phone, and Paige was on the couch, reading another one of those strange _Chicken Soup for the Soul_books. The fleeting looks they gave one another did not go unnoticed by the shrink nor the mechanic. "It's obvious they like each other so I don't understand why you're so obsessed with them. It seems like nature's taking its course already. My advice: let things unfold naturally."

"If things unfold naturally," Toby let out a chuckle as Ferret Bueller climbed up his arm, circled around his neck and sat down on his shoulder, "we'll be waiting centuries."

"And if you force them together before either of them are ready, things could get messy." Happy pursed her lips as they both continued glancing at Walter and Paige.

Suddenly, Toby's eyes popped open. "If _I_do anything to force them together, then yes. Things probably won't go so well; however, 197," the shrink smirked, "can't refute Mother Nature. As we all know, Mother Nature seems to hate Walter right now; if something _were_to happen - quote, unquote - naturally, then he can't say he was forced into _anything_. Accidents," Toby's grin was ear to ear, "happen all the time."

"What are you planning, doc?" Happy turned towards the shrink and cocked her brow.

"Like you said," Toby practically skipped towards his desk with Happy in tow, "we need to let _nature_take its course."

"Uh-huh." Happy wasn't connecting the dots. "And?"

"_And_," Toby lifted Ferret Bueller off of his shoulder and dangled him in front of him, "_Nature_, here, is going to _take_his _course_."

Happy blinked. "You can't possibly guarantee your plan will work."

"And _you_can't possibly guarantee it won't," Toby chuckled as he knelt to the floor and gently stroked Ferret Bueller's back. "We just need to wait for the precise moment."

Happy folded her arms and rolled her eyes; she didn't think Toby's plan was going to work. There was no way to predict the pathway of the ferret. "Let's bet on it," she caught the shrink's attention. "Fifty bucks say your plan is faulty."

"Fine," Toby issued his famous poker face, "A hundred says it's not."

"You're on."

Toby smirked. "This is going to be fun."

"We'll see."

Now, Toby just had to wait until Paige stood up in order to put his plan into motion.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter had been slowly pacing the floor, playing with his new phone for the past half hour. He _could_have sat in his desk and fiddled with it, but the area where he was pacing was the best vantage point for him to steal quick, unnoticeable glances towards the woman on the couch. If he was sitting at his desk, he'd have to turn his head to glance at her; something Toby wouldn't fail to catch. However, by pacing aimlessly between Happy's desk and the couch, he was able to look up from his phone every now and then without getting caught by a certain shrink. She, once, spotted him looking at her, and every cell in his body shouted at him to turn away, but he had gazed into her soft brown eyes long enough to receive a small but noticeable smile from her.

A reward he always enjoyed receiving.

He stopped pacing for a split-second when she stretched her arms and dropped her book onto the small table in front of the sofa. The second she rose to her feet, he returned his attention to his phone.

Unbeknownst to him, she, too, whipped out her phone to text Ralph and ask him if he was having fun at Billy's as well as remind him to brush his teeth and eat healthy foods if provided.

With both Walter and Paige engrossed in their phones and not paying attention to where they were going or what they were really doing, the ball of Walter's foot landed on Ferret Bueller's tail, and as the ferret screeched and scurried away, Walter lost his balance and collided into Paige, sending both of them to the ground.

Both genius and liaison froze the instant Walter's lips landed on top of Paige's, and just... laid on the floor..., continuously blinking at one another. Many times, Walter had imagined kissing Paige, and Paige sure as hell dreamt of kissing Walter, as well. Just... not like _that_. Walter wasn't sure if he remembered how to move, and Paige was pretty sure she didn't _want_him to move.

But, the moment he regained control over his body, he pulled away from her and started to apologize. He surprised _himself_that he was still on top of her, and she _was_glad he at least didn't jump _too_far away. As Walter continuously rambled a lengthy apology, the instant Paige's palms found his cheeks, he stopped talking immediately and grew rigid, wondering what she was going to do.

And before Walter had time to formulate any sort of prediction, Paige yanked him back down towards her and kissed him hard on the mouth. In a matter of seconds, lots of sexual tension was released between them. Paige's arms and legs were curled around him, and his palms were holding her face steady as they hungrily kissed.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Toby beamed proudly as Ferret Bueller scurried towards him. He picked up the mammal and gave him a little finger-five. "Good job, buddy. A plus."

Happy rolled her eyes and slapped a wad of cash into Toby's expecting palm. "Don't spend it all at once."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Toby chuckled, shoving the cash into his pocket. He rose to his feet and cradled the ferret in his arms. "Seems like Mother Nature might actually be smiling on Walter today."

Both Toby and Happy glanced back at their friends and grimaced. "Perhaps a little too much smiling," Happy mumbled and pointed towards the back entrance of the garage. "Anyway, I'm heading out before clothes start flying out of here; I suggest you do the same."

Toby nodded. "Good idea. Seeing Walter's business is _last_thing I ever want burned into my retinas."

"Ew."

"What?" Toby blinked as Happy started to slowly back away from him. Both the mechanic and the shrink turned towards Walter and Paige and saw hands roaming in areas they generally shouldn't be touching. "Annnd I think _that's_our cue to leave..."

"For once, doc," Happy's face contorted as they watched their friends maul each other on the floor of the garage, "I think you might be right."

They never left the garage so fast.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

I really had fun writing this. :)

**Original post:**

**After all of Toby's efforts, it will be Ferret Bueller who'll ultimately bring Walter and Paige together.**

"Like literally; Walter will be walking around in the garage, reading a book or looking at his tablet, and Paige will be engrossed in her phone on her way into the garage, and Walter, not seeing Ferret Bueller in time, almost trips over him and collides into Paige, falling on top of her, and his lips unexpectedly land on on hers. And like the dork he is, he just freezes, unsure how to function; Paige, in some respect, grows rigid as well, and neither one of them move for several minutes until Walter finally gains control over his motor skills and pulls away from her, babbling a lengthy apology. What he doesn't expect is for her to grab his tie, yank him back down and crash her lips against his. But he can't help but kiss her back as her arms wrap around him. They don't even realize Happy handing Toby a roll of cash, nor the shrink picking up the ferret and giving him a finger-five."


	26. Blood Doesn't Matter (Part 1 of 3)

**WriterFreak001: **

Sorry I haven't really posted any fanfiction in a week or so; it's been crazy with Comic Con going on along with my internship. Lots of cool, cool things in the future for Scorpion. :) If you would love to know, head over to my Tumblr: a-beautiful-mind-wf001 and see all of the things I posted.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one.

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**Title** | Blood Doesn't Matter

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Do a Waige fic where Ralph convinces everyone at his school that Walter is his dad and Paige doesn't correct them." Requested by anonymous on Tumblr.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Omniscient Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Blood Doesn't Matter**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 1 of 3**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Hey, Mom…?"

At the sound of her son's quiet voice, Paige smiled and glanced up into the rearview mirror, quickly making eye contact with him before returning her attention to the road. "What is it, baby?"

Ralph looked out the window, watching the world pass by him as he calculated the car's velocity relative to the curb. He was silent for a minute before speaking. "Do we _have_ to go to that school function tonight? I don't really want to go."

Paige shifted her eyes between the road and her son in the mirror several times. "Sweetie," she sighed, "I know attending things like Open House isn't something you like to do, but you've done so well in school this year." As she slowed to a stoplight, she turned towards him and issued her son a proud smile as he gave her his undivided attention. "Your teacher told me you have some excellent projects on display. I'd really like to see them, honey." She reached back to hold his hand as she turned back around and refocused her attention to the road. "Tonight will be my only chance."

"But I'll be bringing them home in a few weeks," Ralph blinked, looking into his mother's eyes through the rearview mirror. "It'll be more efficient if you wait until then."

"Maybe," Paige shrugged and squeezed her son's hand, "but then I wouldn't be able to proudly show off my highly-gifted son to the other parents. If you don't want to go to the Open House, I won't force you, but I'll be going, okay?"

Ralph sighed. "Okay."

"But if you _do _go," Paige inwardly smirked, still squeezing her son's small hand in hers, "I promise to take you out for ice cream afterwards."

Ralph's eyebrows lifted and his stoic expression transformed into excitement. "Scoop swear?!"

Paige threw her head back and laughed as she turned down the alley beside the garage. "Scoop swear." After she parked her car, she unbuckled her seatbelt, climbed out of her seat and opened Ralph's door. He nearly knocked her over as he enthusiastically jumped out of the Chevy and ran towards the garage. As she locked her car, Ralph spun around and ran up to her. She almost thought he was going to hug her, but when he stopped short and only beamed widely at her, she knew it was all wishful thinking. Maybe one day her son will willingly hug her, but obviously, it wasn't going be today. "What is it, Ralph?"

"Can Walter come tonight?" Ralph clenched the bottom rim of his red shirt in his fists as he swayed his shoulders back and forth. "I want to show him my projects too."

Paige's heart warmed as her son practically begged her for Walter to come. Her stomach flipped at the thought of walking down the halls of her son's school with Ralph holding both their hands as they weaved in and out of classrooms. Would people think Walter was Ralph's father? Would they think he was only a friend? And if they _did _think he was her son's father, what would she say? Would she say anything?

"Mom?" Ralph's eyes were wide as he waited patiently for his mother's response. "Well?"

She smiled. "I think that's a great idea."

"Cool!"

"But let me talk –" she exclaimed as her son spun on his heels and bolted for the garage; he was gone before she had a chance to finish her statement, "to him first…." She playfully rolled her eyes and laughed on her way into the garage to find Ralph at Walter's desk, eagerly talking to him. She caught the super genius glancing at her, and she sent him a soft smile as she strode to her desk. Her smile was returned with an amused grin before the man's attention was zapped back to Ralph.

After the young mother pulled a few documents out of her briefcase and slipped them into her desk, Toby casually walked up to her, also amused by the interaction between Walter and her son. "Ralph's clearly excited about something."

Paige stole a few more seconds watching her son laugh with Walter before turning to the shrink standing next to her and laughed. "Ralph has an Open House tonight at his school. He's asking Walter if he'd like to come."

Toby's eyebrows rose to the ceiling as a smirk played on his lips. "Something tells me it's not the Open House he's excited for, Miss Dineen. No matter how much Ralphy-boy's EQ has grown over the year, there's no way he'd be _that _excited to go to a school function."

"I may have bribed him by scoop-swearing to take him out for ice cream afterwards," Paige shrugged and smiled when she returned her gaze to her two favorite geniuses and watched Walter ruffling her son's hair; Walter caught her smiling at them and sent a genuine grin her way. This not-so-subtle interaction did not go unnoticed by Toby but he decided not to point it out. "But I think," Paige continued immediately after Walter's eyes left hers but she didn't look at Toby; she kept watching the two smiling faces in front her, "Ralph's more excited about asking Walter to accompany us, tonight."

"Seems like he's not the only one who's excited," Toby mumbled, noting how wide _both _Walter's and Paige's smiles were; they could deny their feelings for one another all they wanted, but they would never be able to fool Toby. Walter might be a metaphysical turducken 95% of the time, and Paige wasn't always an easy person to read, either, but Toby was 100% certain about one thing concerning his love stricken friends, and he couldn't be happier for them. After everything both of them went through – Paige's second fallout with Drew (which was considered a blessing in Toby's book) and Walter's near-death experience – they deserved to have their fair share of happiness, and the shrink wholeheartedly believed his friends had finally found it.

"Hm?" Paige bit her lip and wasn't really paying attention to Toby, but she figured she should at least give him some sort of indication that she was partially listening.

Toby chuckled. "All I said was I'm sure you guys are going to have fun."

"Oh," Paige lightly giggled, "I'm sure we will." With her entire attention on Walter and her son, she left Toby and circled around her desk, slowly making her way over to them. She and Walter shared a silent smile as Paige touched her son's shoulders. "Okay," she found the willpower to tear her eyes away from Walter's and zero in on her son, "Time to go to school, sweety. If we don't leave now, you'll be late… again."

"Since I'm going to the Open House tonight," Ralph peered up at her with wide eyes, "I don't have to go to school this morning, right?"

Both Paige and Walter laughed. "Nice try, bud." Paige bent down and pecked Ralph's forehead. "To the car. Let's go."

Ralph sighed. "Kay." Walter called for Ralph and Paige to wait before scribbling something down on a piece of paper. Both the Dineens were smiling ear to ear, knowing _exactly _why the Irish genius wanted them to wait. He knelt to the floor and placed the small, folded strip of paper into Ralph's small palm.

"If you're struggling to connect with the other students during your recess period, read this, solve it and show me your answer after school." Walter folded Ralph's tiny fingers over the note and grinned, "Okay, buddy?"

Ralph beamed. "Okay." He took off his backpack and neatly slipped the strip of paper into the smallest pocket of his book bag. Once he swung his school bag back over his shoulders, he started making his way for the door, knowing his mom wanted to stay behind for a few seconds to discuss the Open House with Walter.

And that was exactly what she did. Both Walter and Paige watched Ralph eagerly leave before any words were said. "So…," Walter was the first to speak, causing the young mother to look away from her son and find his soft brown eyes, "an Open House and ice cream?"

"Yeah," Paige issued a light laugh. "I had to find a way to convince him to go with me… so I scoop swore I'd take him out to ice cream afterwards, and he asked me if you could go with us…. He wants to show you some of his school projects." She shyly looked away from him and bit her lip; her cheeks were warm, and unbeknownst to her, Walter's heart was beating faster than its usual rate. He was sure the entire city of Los Angeles could hear the loud palpitations pulsing inside his chest. Paige found his eyes again. "I hope that's okay…. I don't want us ruining whatever plans you have tonight."

"That's okay," Walter spoke too quickly. "I'm free tonight."

"Weren't you going to g—" Toby started from his desk, but Walter shot him a glare, shutting him up immediately.

He then smiled at the woman in front of him. "Like I said, I'm free."

Based on Toby's little outburst, Paige knew Walter secretly had plans to go somewhere, but she didn't say anything about it. She only grinned and whispered a 'thank you.' "You accompanying us tonight will mean a lot to Ralph." She _wanted _to add, 'and me, too,' but she was afraid she'd scare Walter away from going tonight.

"And it means a lot to _me _that he wants me there…," Walter cleared his throat, secretly hoping Paige had wanted him there, too. He counted the seconds as Paige held his gaze; she had this strange power to make him stop everything for her, and despite logic, he liked the strangeness he felt around her. He wanted to feel more of it, but he didn't want to step out of line in case she felt differently towards him.

"A-anyway," Paige blinked and took a step back, "I've gotta get Ralph to school."

Walter also shook himself out of his reverie and crossed his arms to stop himself from reaching out for her hand or curling the loose strand of her honey-brown hair behind her ear. "Okay," he muttered as she spun around and headed towards her son, "We'll, uh, we'll see you when you get back."

Paige flipped her hair away from her face as she quickly turned back towards him and flashed him an acknowledging smile. Silently, she waved and then pointed towards the door as she called out to her son. Walter didn't move as he watched his two favorite members of his cyclone disappear. He bit his lip and didn't notice Toby standing next to him until the shrink said something. "You know that saying that goes something like… as one door closes, another one opens?"

"Yeah," Walter didn't look at the behaviorist. "What of it?"

"That door just closed," Toby pointed to the door Paige and Ralph walked out of. "My advice to you," the shrink patted Walter's shoulder, "don't wait for it to open again."

And like the last time Toby encouraged Walter to take a risk, Walter grabbed his wallet and bolted out of the garage.

He never ran so fast.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"Bye, Ralph," Paige called out to her son as the boy walked towards the school's entrance, "Love you!" She nudged Walter's arm with her elbow and whispered, "Say something encouraging to him."

The genius blinked. "Why?"

"Because," Paige rolled her eyes and laughed, "you never know, hearing you say something supporting his education may make him look forward to his day; a little boost of confidence goes a long way."

Walter nodded, knowing she was right; he didn't have enough phalanges to count the number of times Paige's little sweet nothings made things suddenly seem better for him. "Hey Ralph!" He shouted towards the young genius, causing parents and other children to look at him. It didn't even take a second for the boy to turn around and direct his attention towards Walter. "Um," Walter paused; he didn't actually think about what he was going to say to Ralph. He never liked school so telling him to make friends or have a great day would be absolutely redundant. "Erm…," He then thought of something and gave the boy a thumb's up, "Excel in your classes and pretend to listen to your teachers! Unless they're wrong!" Paige covered her lips to stifle her laughter as Walter noticed the strange looks he was receiving and realized he didn't do something right. He cleared his throat and gave into the looming superfluous traditions of normals by quickly adding the oh-so overused phrase, "Have a good day!"

Ralph, though a couple hundred feet away, smiled at Walter and reciprocated the older genius's thumb's up with one of his own before turning around and disappearing inside. As people continued to stare at him, Paige gently grabbed his elbow and tugged him away from the bussing parents and children. Walter eyed her fingers firmly wrapped around his arm, but he didn't tense up from her touch like he thought he would. He considered this small tactile exchange an improvement in his relationship with the woman pulling him away from the school. Had it been anybody else grabbing his arm like she had done, he would most certainly object and rip his elbow away. But the way Paige's smooth fingers covered his skin did quite the opposite to him, making his mind wonder to less than appropriate things.

When they approached her car, she handed him the keys, and they separated; he circled around the front of the Chevy, and she climbed into the front passenger seat. Paige let out a tiny laugh once they were both sealed from the world and flashed an amusing smile towards the man next to her. He wrinkled his nose and cleared his throat. He pretended he didn't say or do anything wrong earlier. "Was it _that _bad?"

"No," she shook her head and casually touched his arm. "It was just…"

"Abnormal?" Walter guessed, unsure he wanted to hear the rest of her statement.

"Unexpected," Paige corrected him with soft eyes.

"I'll, um," he scratched the back of his head and moved his arm away from her hand as he started the car, "I'll work on it…."

"No," Paige's voice was gentle as she touched his shoulder, "As surprising as it was, it was you," her short statement brought back those strange feelings inside Walter again. He stole a glance from her for a split second before directing his attention to the road. He didn't know what to say. Luckily, Paige saved him from saying anything by continuing. "Don't change anything, Walter. It was perfect."

He was lost for words so he pursed his lips and focused on driving down the road. They spent the next few minutes in silence before he finally found something he wanted to say. "What if…," Walter paused, unsure how to pull his thoughts together to a single phrase. He could solve algorithms in seconds, diffuse time bombs and swing over crevasses, but when it came to talking to the one person who constantly made him reconsider his preconceptions over the subsistence of love, he often found himself babbling like an idiot or absolutely clueless as to what to say. In so many ways, she had shown him a world of things he disregarded throughout most of his life, but he _still _had so much difficulty expressing certain thoughts revolving around her.

"What if, what, Walter?" Paige egged him on, her soft and mellifluous voice giving him exactly what he needed to organize his thoughts and convey them. It was strange, really. She had the ability to make him speechless, but at the same time, she was the one who often gave him strength and courage. He didn't really understand the dichotomy, but he really didn't need to, either. Just knowing she was always listening and always nearby was enough for him.

"What if I _want _to change?" He caught her eying him with an expression he couldn't read. Perhaps he needed to clarify himself. "Over the past year, I've become a different person…. I appreciate things more, and as I've stated once before, I feel like I'm a better person because of you and Ralph…, what if _change _is a good thing?"

"Change," Paige fluttered her eyelids as Walter returned his attention to the road and was tempted to interlink her fingers with his, but she withdrew her hand from the man's shoulder and clasped her fingers together. "Change is neither good nor bad, Walter. It just… happens. It's…," she looked away from him and watched the road in front of her, "how you handle changes that's important." All she received was a fleeting glance from Walter so she continued. "People are constantly changing for many different reasons; it could be something traumatic… or it could be because of certain people they meet through their lives… When I say "don't change," I don't mean for you to force yourself to act differently for approval. Natural change is out of our control so I can't ask you to remain stagnant… Just…," she bit her lip and stared at his hand, but she didn't reach for his fingers like she desperately wanted to. "I like you for the fun, awkward intellectual you are…."

Walter's ears were burning, and he wasn't entirely sure he had heard her correctly. He hand been called many different things, but "fun" was certainly a first. "So…," Walter was still mildly confused. "You think I _shouldn't _change, but you also think I _should _change if outside forces are causing me to change? Am I missing something?"

Paige laughed. "I can see how you're confused."

"Just… a little bit." He sort of understood what she was saying, but there was just something about what she said that made him scratch his head.

"How about this," Paige collected her hair with her hands and curled it around her neck, allowing it to freely flow over her right shoulder. "You shouldn't change who you are, but it's okay to evolve."

Walter cocked his head to the right, amused by her analogy. "The theory of Evolution involves certain adaptations over time that are heavily influenced by environment and preservation… so applying that theory to what you're saying makes sense." He nodded. "So, what it boils down to is, me allowing the changes in my environment to shape me as a person, but I shouldn't be forcing those adaptations myself; they should be a natural process, so to speak."

Paige shrugged and smiled. "Works for me."

Walter took a right turn, and both genius and liaison spotted the garage in the distance. The rest of the ride was comfortable and silent, but when Walter pulled into the alley and parked Paige's car, he wasn't in any hurry to leave the vehicle. There were things he wanted to say… needed to say…

Paige didn't move either. She noticed how Walter was struggling to say something so she remained still, not wanting to scare him from talking to her. He had a history of clamming up, and she wanted him to always feel comfortable talking to her. And little did she know, talking to Paige wasn't a matter of comfort; Walter was always comfortable talking to the woman sitting next to him. It was more about the subject matter. He could talk all day to Paige about anything that fascinates him, and he could listen to her for hours (her beautiful voice was what made the things she often said worth listening; _what _she generally shared wasn't altogether intriguing to Walter, but if _she _was passionate about something, he made it his goal to at least _try _to understand her view on things. He was generally never successful, but, to him, it was the attempt that counted.

They silently counted the quiet seconds floating around them. It wasn't until Paige slightly shifted in her seat did Walter speak. "You said my environment should shape the person I am…."

"I did." Paige fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

"Until you and Ralph came along, my environment was the same. My worldview didn't change; nothing adapted for me except for time. The friends I had were also geniuses who had mostly the same worldviews as I did – not the same experiences, but the same outlook on life. I don't…," he paused and inhaled a deep breath, not wanting his overexcited stutter to tamper with his words. He slowed down his thoughts, wanting every word to flow out as strategically and as evenly and as possible. "I don't necessarily think it's my environment that makes me evolve. Facts… and evidence… have proven otherwise – at least for me, that is." He finally looked at her, unsure, really, where he was going with his statement.

Paige patiently waited for Walter to collect his thoughts and gave him a small smile, encouraging him to continue when he was ready. Her smile gave him the motivation he needed to continue. "What I'm trying to say, is…, based on my experience, had I not met you and Ralph in the diner the day Scorpion dealt with the crisis at LAX, I don't think I'd be any different today than I was five years ago. But since I _did _meet you and your son, both my life and my worldview have substantially changed for the better, and I…, uh, I like these changes; evolutions, per se. And…, um, well, these adaptations in my life can't happen on their own; I… I don't want them to happen on their own…." What Walter _really _wanted to say was that he couldn't see a future where Paige and Ralph weren't in it, but he didn't know how to tell her. He wanted to… the words were on the tip of his tongue… they just weren't comfortable voicing themselves.

He expected Paige to ask him to repeat things or explain everything he had just said in a way she would understand, but instead (and much to his surprise), she smiled ear to ear. Paige had understood him perfectly and was tempted to climb over the console and grab his face in her palms, but she found the resolve to control herself and settled for sliding her fingers between his knuckles. Both of them stared at their conjoined hands, and she boldly brought his palm to her lips. Walter didn't pull away nor did he freeze upon contact; secretly, he wished it were is lips touching hers instead, but he fought his desire to kiss her.

Walter counted the number of seconds her lips touched his skin, wanting time to pause this moment so he could enjoy it longer.

"Walter?" Paige eventually uttered his name and dropped their palms to her lap.

"Hm?" His eyes lit up, and he pursed his lips, awaiting whatever response Paige had in store for him.

She squeezed his hand, leaned over the console, and gently pressed her cheek against his shoulder. He wasn't really sure how to respond to the unfamiliar gesture so he just sat there and watched her thumb smooth over the back of _his _thumb, impatiently waiting for her to share the rest of her thoughts.

Paige, for a few extra seconds, allowed the silence around them to consume them, simply enjoying the comfortable closeness between them. Eventually, she closed her eyes and muttered the words Walter had been waiting to hear. "Ralph and I… well, we need you too." She lightly kissed his shoulder, "_I… _I need you."

Though Paige did not open her eyes, Walter was staring at her. He didn't know if it was out of fascination, confusion or astonishment; perhaps a combination of all three. In spite of the intellectual difference, Paige had understood him. Him. Walter O'Brien. The fourth smartest man ever recorded. Maybe he wasn't too terrible at establishing connections with normals like he had originally thought. Or maybe, it was just Paige. All he knew was that he _needed _her; she was his connection to the world. She was everything he wasn't… and more.

And… she _needed _him.

The strange, pleasurable feelings he often felt around Paige surfaced in every cell of his body, and for reasons he could not discover, his lips grew into a goofy grin.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

This had originally started out as a one-shot, but because it was definitely longer than I had intended it, I am going to make it into a two part story. :) The next part should be out by Friday, and then I'll work on the next chapter of _Poaching_. :D


	27. Blood Doesn't Matter (Part 2 of 3)

**WriterFreak001: **

Had some extra time today so hopefully, this baby will be out earlier as opposed to later. I hope you enjoy the second part! :)

* * *

**Title** | Blood Doesn't Matter

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Do a Waige fic where Ralph convinces everyone at his school that Walter is his dad and Paige doesn't correct them." Requested by anonymous on Tumblr.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Omniscient Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Blood Doesn't Matter**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 2 of 3**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Eventually, the genius and liaison left the car and entered the garage one by one, mutually agreeing to keep their little heart-to-heart (or heart-to-brain) to themselves; Toby would have a field day if he found out his favorite twosome shared an intimate moment together. Happy would most likely care less about the somewhat new dynamic between Walter and Paige, and Sylvester would simply smile and would probably keep his thoughts to himself (or blurt them out as he occasionally did sometimes).

The hours the day passed by slowly. No cases popped up for them today so the team spent most of their time working on their separate projects. Walter was in the back of the garage, tinkering away at his rocket; Happy was at her workbench, welding something together for Walter; Toby was reading, and Sylvester was expanding his most recent algorithm on his blackboard. Paige occasionally waltzed from genius to genius to see if they needed anything (and to break them out of their minds for a few minutes), and forced them to stop what they were doing when lunch was ready. Walter, as usual, was the first to join her in the kitchen.

"Do you," he cleared his throat, "need any help?"

Paige, who was busy rummaging through the fridge for sandwich condiments, gently shook her head and laughed. "Nope. Just about done here."

"Oh," Walter pursed his lips together. He had arrived too late.

"But," Paige came up with something quickly, "I don't think there are napkins on the table yet. If you could find some and place one napkin on each plate while I finish putting things on the counter, I'd really appreciate it."

Walter smiled even though Paige wasn't looking. "I can do that."

As instructed, he searched for the napkins (which was harder than he expected since Paige kindly reorganized the kitchen during his stay at the hospital a few months ago), found them and issued one sheet per plate. When he turned to see if there was anything else Paige needed for lunch, she was pouring herself another cup of coffee. With a spring in his step, he eagerly approached her and asked her if everything was ready. She sipped her coffee and gently placed her mug on the counter before giving the table a quick onceover.

"Perfect," she smiled and finally met his eyes. Walter returned her smile, and he smiled wider when a small, melodious laugh danced into his ears.

"Is… Is something funny?" Walter folded his arms in front of him and flexed his fingers, impatiently waiting for the woman to answer his inquiry. He certainly hoped he didn't do anything wrong.

Paige reached for the damp towel she had used to clean her hands and carefully dabbed the cloth over his nose. "You've got," she rubbed around his lips and over his chin, "grease or oil or _something _all over your face."

He remained silent as she wiped his cheeks, enjoying the careful attention she was giving him; he was usually good about cleaning up after working with his rocket, but he didn't reprimand himself for being sloppy afterwards. He couldn't – especially when he was rewarded with Paige's soft fingers almost touching his skin. Cloth or no cloth, the feelings he felt as she cleaned his face were not entirely unpleasant. Paige, too, was pleased to have a reason to touch his face, but she secretly wanted to run her hands in other places along this man's body – not just his face. But, for now, she'd take what she could get. The cloth keeping her fingers from melting into his flesh did not stop the warm fuzzies swimming inside her stomach.

"There," she spoke softly and smiled as she tossed the dirty cloth into the sink. Boldly, Paige cupped his cheeks and caressed the taut skin under his eyes with her thumbs. "All better."

Much, _much _better. Walter, much unlike the _last _time Paige held his face in her palms, he didn't freeze upon her touch. In fact, his response surprised _both _of them as he pulled one of her hands off of his face and kissed her palm, interlinking his fingers with hers. She dared to step closer where inches became centimeters between them; she could feel his warm breath brushing against her palm, and she was sure Walter could hear her accelerated heartbeat pounding inside her chest. _She_ certainly could.

But before either of them could react to the intensified electricity occurring in the small space between them, Cabe's booming voice echoed throughout the garage, crashing them back to reality.

They never separated so fast.

"All right team! We've got a case! We'll get lunch on the way!"

Walter and Paige both glanced at the table. _So much for that._

**~ SCORPION ~**

Unlike most of their assignments, the one they successfully resolved was rather easy. No guns. No chase-downs. No highly stressful situations. Nothing. In full reality, only one of them (Walter, the likely choice) actually really needed to go, but their client, Mr. Roy Keller, a friend of the governor, was paranoid and wanted the entire team present. Paige continuously reassured Mr. Keller that Scorpion was the best of the best while Walter and Happy worked on security detail. Sylvester calculated the best angles for positioning security cameras, and Toby quietly stood next to Cabe, convinced Mr. Keller was _more _than just paranoid.

Though unsure the team did a noteworthy job, Roy Keller paid them for their services, and they were back in the garage by three in the afternoon. Paige, with her purse secured around her shoulder, strolled from her desk to Walter and patiently waited for the genius to stop what he was doing and look up at her. The smile he sent her made her melt down to her shoes, and she almost forgot why she had needed to speak to her boss / potential boyfriend (she inwardly grinned at that thought) in the first place.

"Did you need something?" Walter was the first to speak after a moment of silence between them. He spotted her purse as he rose to his feet and frowned. "You're leaving?"

"Just to pick up Ralph," Paige laughed and tugged her purse closer to her. "I need to get him home so he can start on his homework as well as get ready for tonight." She discretely reached for his hand and squeezed it. "If it were any other night, I'd have his sitter pick him up and bring him here."

"No need to pay a sitter for unnecessary expenditures." Walter nodded, understanding Paige's need to leave so soon.

"Something like that," the woman giggled, still holding Walter's hand as her thumb slowly smoothed over his skin. "So," she raked her fingers through her hair, "the Open House starts at seven. I was thinking the three of us could grab a bite to eat beforehand. Possibly Kovelsky's or a local diner. Will that be okay?"

"Yep," Walter unconsciously squeezed her fingers and smiled, wanting to kiss her knuckles as she had kissed his palm earlier. He restrained himself, though. "I'd like that."

"I thought you would," Paige laughed and quickly added, "We'll come by the garage around five. Be ready by then, and dress casually."

"Okay." Walter sent Paige a smile. He figured what he was wearing – his usual attire – was casual enough so he didn't plan on changing into anything else. Besides, other than a pair of sweats, formalwear and a gaudy, green sweater, he didn't really own anything else.

"All right," she paused and glanced at her conjoined hands, wishing she was running her fingers through his curls or kissing him madly on the lips. Those thoughts were gone almost as quickly as they came; she settled for pushing up on her toes and kissing his cheek. Something Walter did not expect nor prepare for. "I, uh," she held his hand tightly and placed his palm over her heart, "I should go. Don't want to leave my kid waiting too long."

"Okay." Walter's unusually high-pitched voice surfaced. He cleared his throat as she let out a melodious laugh. "Okay," he repeated himself in his natural register.

"Bye." She smiled.

"Bye."

And before she briskly left the garage, she leaned up and placed a second kiss on Walter's cheek, something definitely not unnoticed by Toby. The shrink casually sauntered up to the dumbstruck genius, wearing the biggest smirk his lips could physically form. "You know…," Toby started, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Walter cut him off. "Toby?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

**~ SCORPION ~**

"Honey," Paige called out to her son as she switched out her purses, "are you almost ready? I told Walter we'd pick him up at 5 o'clock. If we don't leave s—"

"Ready," her little boy interjected as he stepped out of his bedroom, wearing anything _but _casual clothes. Like the day he dressed up for his school pictures (which, evidently, Paige had to have her son attend the makeover picture day a few weeks later due to the little hooky stunt he had pulled that day), Ralph was wearing black slacks, a light blue button-up shirt and a dark blue clip-on tie. Receiving an unreadable glance from his mother, Ralph quietly asked, "Should I change?"

Paige's lips curled to a smile, and she bent down to straighten her son's collar. "No, baby. You look very handsome."

"Do you think Walter looks handsome wearing these clothes?" Ralph blinked, his question taking Paige by surprise.

She knew there was no point in lying to her son. "All the time."

"Do you like Walter?"

Her son's question made her smile. "Yes, honey. I do, very much so."

Ralph grinned. "I like Walter too."

Paige ruffled Ralph's hair and kissed his forehead. "I know you do, sweetie. Now," she rose to her feet and pointed to the door, "you know how punctual Walter likes to be so," she grabbed her purse, "let's get moving before we make him worry."

Luckily, the Dineens arrived at the garage on time, and Walter was waiting outside when Paige pulled up down the alley. She told Ralph to stay in the car while she popped open her door and climbed out of her Chevy, offering the driver's seat to Walter. He immediately accepted, and when they were all settled in, Walter turned towards Paige, noting her short white skirt and dark red blouse. Even dressed casually, Paige's appearance did crazy things to his insides. She giggled when she caught him staring at her, and he cleared his throat and scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh," he swallowed the lump in his throat, "Have the two of you, uh, decided where we're going to go for dinner?"

"I was thinking Applebee's." Paige smiled and then turned to her son. "Is that okay with you, Ralph?" Ralph issued his mother a small smile and nodded so she returned her attention to the man sitting next to her. "Will that be okay?"

He pursed his lips and gave Paige a slight nod. "Sounds good." He shifted the gears of the car and slowly drove down the alleyway towards the main road. He might have never been to Applebee's before, but that didn't mean he didn't know where the restaurant was; he had passed it enough times on his way to UCLA. Strangely, he was looking forward to spending an evening with Paige and Ralph; having the privilege to attend a school function – no matter how ridiculous it might be – with his two favorite people was something he wasn't going to forget.

When Paige discreetly dropped her palm over the top of the hand that was resting on the console, he was actually anxious of what the night might bring. Little did he know, Paige was very anxious too, and Ralph was simply excited.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Dinner at Applebee's was pleasant, to say the least. They were seated quickly, and they didn't have to wait too long for their food to arrive. When the bill arrived, Walter paid for it without question. Paige tried to dissuade him from covering two-thirds of the bill, but he insisted. It was something he _wanted _to do. And with the way he looked at her, his eyebrows lifted…, eyes wide and happy…, lips curved upward… she couldn't resist. She wasn't used to other people treating her and her son, but she was beginning to think it was something she could definitely get used to.

Once the bill was paid, they filed out of the restaurant and made their way back to Paige's Chevy; it was a quarter to seven, and they were ten minutes away from the school (technically Walter could get there in five if he wanted, but Paige was very particular about his bad driving habits around her son – especially since his accident). The drive to Bilson Elementary was filled with light chatter, mostly Walter conversing with Ralph with Paige listening. While she didn't understand half of the things they were talking about, she was happy her son had someone (well, multiple people, really) who spoke his language. Walter coming into their lives was truly a gift. She honestly wouldn't know where she and Ralph would be had it not been for that day in the diner – the day that completely changed hers and her son's lives.

By the time they arrived at the elementary, children and their parents were walking towards the school. Walter, a little out of his element, was the first to hop out of the vehicle. He observed his surroundings and didn't see any of the fathers rushing to open the car doors for their spouses or children so he remained where he was and waited patiently for Paige and Ralph to exit the car. Ralph was the second to hop out, and Paige followed before he locked the car and dropped the keys into his pocket.

Ralph reached for his mother's hand and then extended his other palm to Walter's. Walter didn't hesitate to wrap his fingers around the boy's small hand, and the three of them walked towards the entrance of the school as though they were a real family.

They slowly followed the other parents and children into the school, and Ralph led Walter and Paige to his classroom. Ralph sat down in one of the desks at the far back corner, and Walter and Paige stood behind him. Paige had one hand touching her son's shoulder, and she interlinked her fingers with Walter's, receiving a small smile from him in return.

"How do these things usually go?" Walter whispered to Paige as more families filed into the classroom.

"Well," Paige turned towards him, "after most of the families have filled up the classroom, then the teacher, in our case, Mrs. Tyler, says a few words, talking about what the students have learned over the course of the semester as well as exhibiting some of the best projects the students did. Then, once all of that is completed, we're free to walk around and look at the other projects or just go straight to Ralph's section – wherever that is – and see what he's done this year. Then, we can leave."

"Sounds… tedious." Walter was suddenly dreading the next half hour.

"Most of it is," Paige laughed lightly and leaned up to kiss Walter's cheek. Walter froze from her sudden touch, but he recovered faster than the last time she pressed her lips to his face. "Hmmm," Paige's soft voice found his ear, and he had nearly forgotten where he was as her voice hummed into his eardrum. "You said once that your mind works best when it's completely focused on something, right?"

"I did say that… once or twice." Walter mused, surprised she had actually heard him when he had delivered that statement to Toby back when he was in his "meditating" frenzy.

"Well, then pick one thing within the room and study it; give it your undivided attention. Memorize its structure and, I don't know, figure out ways to improve its quality?" Paige was only guessing, really. She was basically repeating different terms and things she'd heard at the garage whenever the geniuses talked in gibberish.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Walter muttered.

Paige smiled. "Good."

Seconds later, Mrs. Tyler started talking, and he was right in thinking the teacher's statement was going to be boring; her voice was monotonous (not that _that _really mattered to him), she was as old as dirt, and her voice was shaky. Walter tried his best to listen to Mrs. Tyler; he really did, but he just couldn't stand listening to her voice for more than five minutes. After that, he tuned her out and focused entirely on Paige. Though he had already memorized everything there was to memorize about her (from what he was allowed to see, that is), he always enjoyed studying her. He noticed something new every time.

And each new thing he discovered just added to her perfection. Walter, never in his life, considered something "perfect," but Paige, in spite of her faults, was flawless in his eyes. Everything about her was beautiful. Walter might be emotionally stunted, but he wasn't blind. He knew – for the longest time – he was physically and sexually attracted to her, but there was just something about her that made him want something beyond the physical. She was special. Very, very special.

There were many things he wanted with her that he never considered wanting with anybody. As he watched her intently, everything blurred around him. She only had to be standing next to him and holding his hand for him to lose all sense of time and awareness. And before he knew it, Paige turned to him and playfully smacked his cheek, waking him from his trance.

"Mrs. Tyler is finished now," Paige smiled. "Ralph wants to show us his projects."

Walter nodded. "Okay."

Ralph hopped out of his chair and led Walter and Paige to his projects, pointing to each one and describing it as he showcased them. Walter was thoroughly impressed, and so was Paige, though she didn't understand half of the things her baby boy was saying. She didn't care though; she was just so happy for her son to have finally fit in. Walter recalled helping Ralph on a few of his projects, but the last one, he didn't recognize.

"What's this, buddy?" Walter pointed to the last project in Ralph's section as he stared at it and studied it.

"Oh, that? It's a drawing…. We were instructed to draw something that was meaningful to us. I stink at art, though. So I borrowed Sylvester's graphic calculator and used geometric functions to create what I wanted to draw. I then used a protractor to help me draw it. I don't know if I like it though. It's not as artistic as the other students." Ralph explained as he picked up the sheet of paper and handed it to Walter.

Walter analyzed the geometrics. All Paige saw were shapes and lines; she couldn't make out anything, but Walter certainly did. He smiled. He thought about telling Ralph how art was a waste of time anyway to cheer him up about the drawing, but he knew Paige wouldn't appreciate his thoughts. Paige made it very clear how she felt about the arts, and while Walter still didn't agree with some of her opinions, he was willing to forego his opinions just this once. "I like it. Can I keep it when you're able to take it home?"

Ralph arced a brow. "I thought you didn't like art."

"I don't, but _this _isn't art, Ralph. It's mathematics. It's… brilliant work" Walter grinned, holding up Ralph's design for Paige to see.

"All I see are lines and circles," Paige frowned.

"Take six steps backward," Walter instructed. Paige did as she was told, and a wide grin grew on her lips the instant she saw what her son had drawn.

She walked up to Ralph and ruffled his hair. "Walter's right, sweetie. It's great."

"It is?" Ralph's eyes brightened up; everyone in his class thought it was weird, and his teacher thought it was clever, but she couldn't tell what it was.

"Mhmm!" Paige bent down and kissed the top of her son's hair. "Contrary to what Walter says, though, I'd still call it art. It may not be brushstrokes or Crayola, but it's still art. _Your _art. Each artist, Ralph, has their own voice. Yours happens to be different and unique, and that's okay." Paige poked Ralph's nose. "Okay?"

Ralph was grinning again. "Okay."

"Good," Paige kissed her son's forehead and pulled him in for a hug. She rose to her feet and combed her fingers through Ralph's hair as Walter dropped the drawing down next to the rest of the boy's projects. He stood behind the mother and son, casually resting his hand over Paige's shoulder, and just as they were going to leave, they were stopped by Ralph's teacher.

"Miss Dineen," Mrs. Tyler smiled and extended her hand to Paige, "It's nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too, Mrs. Tyler." Paige grinned, shaking the teachers hand gently. "Ralph was just showing us his neat projects."

"You've got yourself a smart little boy," Mrs. Tyler issued a smile towards Ralph and then to Paige. "He has a bright future."

"The brightest," Paige beamed, unconsciously running her fingers through Ralph's hair.

"Mom?" Ralph turned to her and pointed behind him, "Can I go talk to Billy?"

"Sure, honey. Don't wonder too far, though." Paige mumbled to her son, and in seconds, he wormed away from her and made his way to Billy. She smiled at how happy her son looked and thought she would never see this day.

Paige took a few steps backwards and casually slid her arm behind Walter, splaying her palm over the middle of his back. To her surprise, he didn't tense to her touch, and she grinned at his small accomplishment.

Mrs. Tyler turned to Walter and lightly patted him on the shoulder. He tensed as she mumbled, "I bet you're proud of your son, Mr. Dineen," before leaving to speak to other parents.

"Oh, um," Walter was about to correct her, but Paige pulled him back with a laugh.

"Easy there, Einstein." Paige dragged him back to where they were standing and took his hands in hers. "There. That's better."

Walter gazed at her. "Why didn't you let me inform her I wasn't Ralph's father?"

"Because," Paige looked down at their conjoined hands and brought the back of his left palm to her lips, "I don't mind people making that mistake."

Her response caught him off guard. The last time they discussed Walter's role in Ralph's life, things got ugly pretty quickly. He didn't understand the change in Paige's opinion. "M-may I ask why?"

"I promise I'll tell you, but," Paige turned to see her son making his way back to them, "let's wait until later, okay?"

"Okay."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

Okay, yeah, this is a lot longer than planned so there will be one more part to this story. I promise! :) Let me know what you think!


	28. Blood Doesn't Matter (Part 3 of 3)

**WriterFreak001: **

Aaaaand here is the final installment for _Blood Doesn't Matter_. :)

* * *

**Title** | Blood Doesn't Matter

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Do a Waige fic where Ralph convinces everyone at his school that Walter is his dad and Paige doesn't correct them." Requested by anonymous on Tumblr.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Omniscient Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Blood Doesn't Matter**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 3 of 3**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Mom," Ralph squeezed his mother's hand and cowered behind her leg as a group of boys from one of his classes passed them and made their way into the classroom to where he, his mom and Walter were heading, "can we go now?"

Paige stopped walking and bent down to her son, "We have one more teacher to visit, baby."

"I know," Ralph was quiet and nervous; his teacher from the last class of his school day sometimes gave him a hard time, and the students weren't the nicest bunch either. He always dreaded going to his grammar class – writing was a skill for right-brained people; not for someone like Ralph. "I just don't want to go in there."

Paige rested her palms on Ralph's shoulders and looked to Walter for help; the genius was on his knees in seconds, analyzing the situation. "Ralph," Walter reached for the boy's hand and held it gently in his large palm. "Do you dislike the course?"

The young genius nodded. "Yeah. It's language. I'm not so great at it." Ralph pursed his lips, feeling ashamed of not being great in every area of expertise.

"I wasn't so great at learning syntax and semantics either," Walter issued Ralph a small smile. "It took years and years of practice before I was fluent in writing."

Ralph glanced towards the door again and then back at Walter. "How did you improve your writing skills?"

Walter grinned. "My sister taught me a trick once; I can show you later, but she showed me how to treat each sentence as an equation. She showed me the Reed-Kellog diagram which helped me greatly. Sometime this week, we'll sit down and look at your language homework. Sound good?"

Ralph gave Walter a tiny smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Walter."

"No problem, buddy." Walter ruffled the boy's hair and started to rise to his feet when Ralph squeezed his hand, forcing him back down to his knees. "Is something… else wrong?"

"Um," Ralph swallowed, a little embarrassed, "how did you deal with bullies?"

Paige's heart dropped. "Someone's bullying you in school?" Ralph bit his lip and gave his mother a slight nod. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him into her arms. "Why didn't you tell me, baby?"

Ralph didn't answer, but she didn't expect him to. Paige glanced at Walter, and he inhaled a deep breath. "It's not uncommon for geniuses to keep such information hidden from others; we like to think we're superior to normals so admitting flaws or telling someone we're being bullied isn't as easy as you may think. It's easier to internalize things." Walter then turned to Ralph. "Who's bullying you, Ralph?"

Ralph shrugged as his mother released him. "Just a group of boys."

"Do they hurt you?" Paige straightened out her son's bangs and then gently cupped his face. "_Have _they hurt you?"

"Not physically," Ralph mumbled. "They say mean things when the teacher's not looking or listening."

"What kinds of things?" Paige asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this. She planned on calling some parents tomorrow after learning of this new information. Ralph only shrugged so Paige tried another tactic. "What are their names, honey?"

Ralph still didn't answer.

Walter vaguely remembered how the boy shifted behind his mother as those four young boys walked by them. "Were they the ones who walked into your classroom a few minutes ago?"

A few seconds of silence passed before Ralph slowly nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Stay here with Walter, honey," Paige kissed Ralph's forehead and then rose to her feet. "I'll be right back."

"What are you going to do?" Both Walter and Ralph asked in unison as Paige slowly made her way to the classroom door.

She turned around and winked. "Oh, you know me." Before either Walter or Ralph could ask for more context, she disappeared behind the door.

Not sure if he wanted to know what Paige was up to, Walter turned his attention back on Ralph and placed his palms on the boy's shoulders. "I noticed you didn't want to answer your mother when she asked you what kinds of things those boys say. Any particular reason?"

Ralph didn't say anything.

"Do they… say things she wouldn't like?"

"Yeah."

"Are they about her?"

Ralph pursed his lips. "Sometimes."

"What do they say?" Walter, for whatever reason, was dead set on finding out why those boys were upsetting Ralph; he wanted to know every detail. He _needed _to know every detail so that he could fix things. Ralph was very dear to him, and he hated to think the boy was being bullied in school, and if Paige hadn't beaten him to the punch, he would have been in that classroom, giving those boys pieces of his mind. Walter _would _have suggested for Ralph to clock them, but one very important detail kept him from doing so – _Paige_. "Ralph," Walter's stern voice forced the boy to look at him, "what do they say?"

Ralph, for the umpteenth time, shrugged. "At first, they were just annoying. I ignored most of their comments because they were merely insulting my intelligence. I thought that if I ignored them like I did in the second and third grade, they'd eventually grow tired of pestering me and move on with their lives. The pestering stopped a few years ago because my teachers were better at controlling the situations, but because Mr. Anderson is one of the boys' fathers, they were able to get away with being mean, and they started saying nasty and untrue things about Mom…."

Ralph wasn't sure he wanted to tell Walter what those bullies say about his mom because of how much he knew Walter cared for his mother, but he figured he should anyway. Perhaps Walter would have some insight on something like this. "I just sit there and say nothing. I'm not sure how to react; the things they say make me want to hurt them, but," Ralph glanced up at Walter, "I know Mom wouldn't want me to hurt them so I don't."

Walter remembered the time a few of his classmates made fun of Megan when she had to walk around school with her supports, but Walter wasn't a saint. The first two classmates went home with bloody noses, and the third one went home with a black eye. Walter, of course, was suspended for assaulting three of his peers. He didn't care though; if he had to do things all over again, he wouldn't change a thing. He'd protect Megan in a heartbeat.

Walter opened his mouth to say something, but Ralph's next few words took him by complete surprise. "The other day on the way to language class," the young genius stared at the floor, "Mike, Mr. Anderson's son, had called me a bastard… with other vulgar-choiced adjectives…, and Kyle, his best friend, added onto the insults, telling me his father said my mom was a tramp… and it was all because I have no dad…." Ralph finally looked up at Walter, "and as much as I wanted to hurt them for saying bad things about Mom, they weren't worth it…. They won't make it far past high school anyway."

Walter inhaled a deep breath and flared his nostrils as he pushed all of the air through his nose. He raked his hand through his hair and looked towards the door before returning his attention to Ralph. He issued a small grin. "You're a better kid than me when I was your age, Ralph. If I was you, I'd have punched them for saying something like that… no matter what the consequences were."

"How do you make them stop, though? Even if I ignore them, they continue the next day, and I don't want to waste my time hurting them. It wouldn't be efficient." Ralph was looking straight into Walter's eyes but before Walter could answer, Paige popped out into the hallway and strolled towards them.

"Those boys won't be a problem anymore," Paige beamed, causing both geniuses to stare at her. "Trust me."

"How did you manage to pull that off?" Walter blinked as he rose to his feet; he still held the boy's hand, though.

"Oh," Paige smiled, walked up to her son and started playing with his hair, "I have my ways."

"I think I'd actually like to hear this explanation," Walter tried so hard not to smirk as his eyes locked in on Paige's brown irises, but he failed miserably.

"Later," she winked playfully before peering down to her son who was looking straight at her. "Ready for ice cream?"

Ralph beamed. "Really?!"

"Yep!" Paige lowered her lips to her son's forehead and pressed a loud kiss against his hairline. "But if we don't hurry," Paige straightened up and looked at her watch, "we might not get to the parlor before it closes."

As if Paige had said a magic word, Ralph raced towards the school's exit, leaving Walter and Paige in his wake. "Come on!" Ralph exclaimed as he ran, "hurry up!"

Walter and Paige laughed as Ralph disappeared outside the school. Paige slid her fingers between Walter's and tugged him down the hallway. "Well, you heard my little man," she smiled and kissed the back of his hand.

And without another word, both the genius and the liaison picked up their pace and raced out to the car to find Ralph impatiently waiting for them.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Luckily, they managed to arrive at the ice cream parlor before it closed, and Walter treated the Dineens for a second time that night. He wasn't usually one to spend money so carelessly, but he was a sucker for wanting to make Paige and Ralph smile. He would practically do _anything _for them. As Ralph licked away at his chocolate ice cream cone, Paige slowly spooned at the vanilla ice cream in her bowl, and Walter sipped from his vanilla shake. There was occasional conversation, but they were mostly quiet, enjoying their nightly sugary treats.

They stayed at the parlor longer than they should have because Ralph, having finished his cone, was leaning against Walter's side with droopy eyes. Walter automatically wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders and tugged him closer, allowing him more comfort to sleep against him. Paige was getting tired, herself, but she was enjoying the small interaction between her sleepy son and Walter. Seeing Ralph rest against Walter was so precious, and she wished the moment didn't have to end, but Walter quietly suggested they head back to her apartment. Unable to disagree with the man, she sweetly smiled, reached over the table and covered Walter's hand with hers.

"We'll go as long as you promise not to leave right away," Paige curled her fingers around Walter's and squeezed his hand. "I think we have a lot to discuss."

Walter agreed. They _definitely _needed to talk. He smiled. "Deal."

"Okay," Paige lifted his hand off of the table and brought his palm to her lips, wondering what it would feel like if she was kissing his mouth instead. She imagined several scenarios, but nothing would ever amount to the real thing, and she hoped, one day, she'd be able to find out. (And if it was sooner – even better.)

Seconds of absolute oblivion passed between them before she dropped his hand from her lips and rose to her feet. She circled around the table towards her son and was about to lift him into her arms, but Walter touched her arm to stop her. "I've got him."

Instead of questioning the man, she smiled. "Thank you, Walter."

"No problem," he grinned and twisted around so that he could scoop the boy up into his arms. He slid off of the bench and held a sleeping Ralph in his arms as he walked towards Paige's car with Paige in tow. She unlocked the car for him, and Walter carefully placed Ralph inside the back seat of the car and strapped him in. Worried he would wake the boy, the genius slowly pulled himself out of the back and quietly closed the door. Paige knew better, though; her son often slept like the dead, but it was amusing (and attractive) to see Walter so… domestic.

"Thank you again," Paige muttered in low voice as she brushed the tips of her fingers through his dark, curly hair. "I really appreciate everything you did today for Ralph." She softly caressed his face. "It was really sweet."

"Um," Walter followed her fingers as she glided them down his cheek towards his chin, "it was nothing, really."

"Not to Ralph, it wasn't," Paige whispered and rested both her palms on his shoulders, "and certainly not to me." She gazed into his intense chocolate eyes and then bravely kissed his cheek. "You have no idea how much we value the little things you do for us, Walter."

Before he could open his mouth to say something, Paige lightly smacked his cheek and pushed away from him, heading for the other side of the car. It took him a few seconds to recover from his frozen state before hopping into the vehicle, himself.

Minutes of silence passed before anyone said anything. Walter, still very curious as to what Paige did behind the door of that classroom, wanted to know how she managed to prevent those boys from bullying Ralph. "So," Walter focused on his driving, but he could see, out of the corner of his eye, that Paige was looking at him. "What exactly happened in the classroom back there?"

Paige smirked. "Oh, well," she laughed quietly, "Mr. Anderson, Ralph's teacher, is the father of one of those boys."

"So I heard."

"When I was still a waitress, I used to take on the night shift for some extra money, and there were quite a few times Mr. Anderson showed up at the diner with a woman on his arm who _wasn't _his wife. I kindly reminded him about his affair, and the color of his skin dropped significantly. He said he'd take care of the issue right away. Done and done," Paige grinned satisfactorily as she stretched her arms and arched her back. "And if they _do _cause Ralph any more problems, well," she giggled, "you know what they say: loose lips sink ships."

Walter, thoroughly impressed and unfamiliar with this devious side of Paige, rose his eyebrows. "Since when do you have a dark side?"

"When it comes to Ralph," Paige turned towards her son and issued her sleeping baby a smile before returning her attention to Walter, "I'd do anything to protect him."

Walter nodded. He understood the feeling. "You're not the only one."

**~ SCORPION ~**

After Paige instructed Walter to take Ralph's shoes off and carefully lower him into his bed, she pulled the blankets over her sleeping son, kissed his nose and whispered goodnight. Walter bent down to the floor and gently stroked the boy's head. He didn't kiss Ralph like Paige, but he mumbled a few things into Ralph's ear and then followed Paige to the living room. She sat down on one side of the white two-person couch, and he sat down next to her, unsure who would begin or how to start. Luckily, Paige spared him from contemplating too much. "Before I go into too many things, I just want to know…," she touched his arm, "how _are _things, Walter?"

Walter's eyebrows lifted. "How _are _things?"

"Yes," she nodded with a smile. "I want to know how you're holding up… it's been almost two months since your accident."

"I am aware," Walter had been secretly counting the days since his accident, wanting each day to serve as a reminder that he was alive.

"So," Paige dropped her palm from his arm to his knee, "how are you doing?"

"You see me every day…," Walter cocked a brow, clearly not understanding her question.

"Let me put it this way," Paige smiled lightly, "have you spoken to anyone about your accident? Anyone who's _not _a shrink?"

Walter shook his head. "No." He pursed his lips. "I haven't."

"Do you… want to talk about it?" Paige wasn't sure if she had crossed a line, bringing up Walter's accident, but she genuinely wanted to know how he was holding up. She cared for him (and might even love him), and she just wanted him to know that he could trust her… that he could depend on her and tell her things he necessarily wouldn't want to reveal to the team.

"Not really," Walter muttered, running his hand through his hair.

"Oh. Okay." Paige blushed, ashamed of her question.

"But," Walter continued, "Maybe I should."

"You don't have to if you don—"

"—I sometimes have nightmares," Walter blurted out, surprising both of them with his confession. Knowing she would need a solid explanation, Walter continued. "It's mostly the same reoccurring one…, and the nightmares bother me more than they should…"

Paige felt her heart break into pieces as Walter lowered his guard for her. She wanted so much to hug him and kiss him until he was all better, but she knew she couldn't just kiss his booboos away. She tried to approach the topic carefully, not knowing what he was going to say next. "Walter…, everyone has nightmares…."

"I know," Walter nodded, "I know everyone has them, but they _usually _don't bother me as much…, but these…, these ones do."

"Is there a particular reason why they bother you so much?" Paige pulled his hands away from his lap and laced her fingers between his knuckles.

"Each nightmare ends the same way," Walter mumbled, foreign to the feeling of vulnerability; he didn't like it. It made him feel exposed in many different ways, but… having Paige listen to him and hold his hands made everything he was currently feeling more bearable. He finally met her chestnut-colored eyes as she delicately kissed his fingers. "But the thing is," Walter muttered, "I don't understand _why _they bother me so much…. They're untrue, and the fact that you're sitting here in front of me is proof that these nightmares are nothing more than just that – nightmares."

"How do they end?" Paige squeezed his hands, holding them over her heart and hoping – through her small touches and closeness – she could send him sparks of love and encouragement to ease him through the difficult process of opening his heart (or mind) to her. She knew how hard it was to share personal things with another individual, and for Walter, unveiling his insecurities was almost the equivalent of overcoming Herculean feats of strength. She wasn't asking him to completely unmask his frailty, but it seemed as though he _wanted _her to know the things he spent months repressing. And he did, he just didn't really know how to articulate them.

"With you not showing up on the side of the cliff," Walter's response – though quick and deliberate – was barely above a whisper. He was ashamed for momentarily believing in his nightmares every time he woke up from them; he knew they weren't real. He knew they were only figments of his imagination stirred up from the drama of the accident, but within the small moments he always endured after waking up from his nightmares, he feared they were real. It was only when he would check his phone and scroll through the innumerable amount of texts he shared with Paige did he realize she was still in Los Angeles. And then he would feel infinitely better. It was almost a routine he had to endure every other night, and it exhausted him.

"But I'm here," Paige kissed the center of his palm, assuring him her presence was _very _real.

"I know," Walter nodded, aware of that fact. "Which is why I don't understand the reason I keep having these nightmares. You're here. Ralph's here…, and you've assured me you're not going to Portland."

"I think," Paige brought her palm to the side of his face and slowly strummed her thumb over his lips, "the reason you're having those nightmares runs deeper than you realize…. Maybe the prospect of Ralph and me leaving for Portland is only a partial reason…, but it's not what's rooted inside your nightmare." She paused for a few seconds when Walter shifted his gaze from the floor to her eyes. He had heard her, and he's patiently waiting for her to continue. She approached her theory carefully. "While it's settled that me and Ralph are staying," Paige smiled briefly, earning a small grin from Walter in return, "the issue of Drew still remains."

Walter blanched at the sound of the man's name. His dislike for Ralph's father was not unnoticed by anyone, especially Paige. "I think," Paige addressed her theory, "I think you might be subconsciously worried Drew will try to take us away from you… or that… somewhere down the road…, I might change my mind…."

Yes, he _had _worried that Paige would follow Drew if she ever grew tired of Scorpion, but he didn't realize his concerns were so evident to the young mother. "That…, uh…, that may have crossed my mind once or twice." The _real_ numbers were uncountable.

Paige bit her lip, wondering how she could convince Walter that her life – her _romantic _life – with Drew was over. She boldly slid off of the couch and stood in front of him; he eyed her suspiciously, dreading whatever she had in mind. Slowly, she climbed on top of him, straddling her legs around his middle and pressing her body as close to him as humanly possible. Walter, though startled from her sudden (but definitely warranted) maneuver, slid his arms strategically behind her, not wanting her to fall backwards (and possibly wanting her to be exponentially closer).

She cupped his face and combed her fingers through his hair as he stared intensely into her beautiful, coffee-brown eyes. "Walter," Paige touched her forehead to his and closed her eyes, feeling his warm breaths brushing against her neck, "_This, _right here, right now, is where I want to be…." She lightly kissed his forehead, "Other than the sake of Drew being Ralph's biological father," she pulled away as his eyes landed on hers, "there will never be a Drew and me. The role he once had in my life is now over, and it has been for several years." She grinned and rubbed her thumbs under the taut skin below his eyes. "Drew's unwillingness to compromise tells me exactly where his priorities are, and I don't want a man who cares more for his career than my son to be in Ralph's life. He doesn't need to go through the disappointment over and over again; that would be too cruel." She latched her fingers behind his neck as a smile colored her lips.

"You wanted to know why I didn't correct Ralph's teachers earlier tonight, and to be honest," she pulled herself closer to him; their faces were centimeters a part, "over the past year, you have been more of a father-figure to Ralph than Drew has been these past ten years. Someone wise once told me blood doesn't matter, and he was right. Ralph adores you, Walter, and he looks up to you; I've seen him smile more when he's around you than when he's with Drew. It might be because Drew can't connect with him like you can, I don't really know, but I see the way my son lights up every time we go to the garage. And…," Paige kissed his brow, "unlike Drew, you stop _everything_ for Ralph. If I had a penny for every time Drew bailed on us when Ralph was a toddler, well," she laughed, "I wouldn't have had to work my ass off as a waitress."

Walter, now comfortable with the feeling of this woman holding him in her arms, chuckled with her. He rendered her speechless as he touched her cheek, memorizing the way her soft skin molded perfectly into his palm. "And yet," he grew serious, "I'm glad you did…."

She smiled sweetly and touched her nose to his, blinking away an onset of tears. "I am too." She closed her eyes and inhaled everything that was Walter O'Brien. She wanted this moment to last forever, and she was sure Walter did too. There was only one thing that could make everything even more perfect. She slowly advanced him, giving Walter time to prepare himself for what she was about to do, and while he saw all of it coming, no prediction nor calculation could have prepared him for the feeling of her soft lips lightly pressing against his. She was holding his face, kissing him gingerly, and he was frozen solid, unsure how to handle all of the fireworks bursting underneath his skin. But the more her lips molded against his, the less he panicked and the more he responded. And before he knew it, his palms rode up her shirt and pressed against her heated flesh, mirroring the level of intensity she was projecting as her fingers ceaselessly weaved through his dark curls.

Walter's lips were placing hot kisses along her neck as Paige mindlessly pushed their middles together, wanting so desperately to rip his clothes off and have her wicked way with him inside her bedroom. She had dreams of Walter often starting like this, but God, there was just _something _about kissing Walter in real life that made her fantasies seem almost meaningless. And when she felt herself pulsing against him as he gripped her backside and pulled her even closer to him, she nearly lost her mind and quietly ordered the man in her arms to take her to her bedroom.

And he did.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

I'm not sure about the ending to this chapter, but I think it's a good wrap up. Some steamy moments for you guys. :) Let me know what you think! :D


	29. Right Where It's Supposed to be

**WriterFreak001: **

I enjoyed writing this little ficlet. :)

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**Title** | Right Where It's Supposed to be

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Instead of talking to Walter, Janice tries giving Paige advice. Requested by queenhap on TUMBLR.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Right Where It's Supposed to be**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

It had been quite a crazy day, but not as crazy as some other cases she had endured while working for Scorpion. Still, today was different. Incredibly different. Today, she could have been kidnapped. Today, she could have been killed. She could have been shot in the head or found floating in the ocean. Yet, despite how crazy her day was, she was fine. Her heart was still fluttering from anxiety, but overall, she would be okay.

And even though she _could _have died today, she didn't question her job or consider leaving Scorpion. They face terribly crazy things all the time, and other than a few bruises, a few damaged egos and a few mishaps every now and then, Scorpion was a very successful company. She knew what she signed up for, and as long as Scorpion did not bring any of its danger home with her to her son, Ralph, she would continue working for Walter. Not entirely for herself but for her son. _Ralph _needed Scorpion as much as she did.

As she told Ralph about her oh-so-crazy day, she spotted a certain super genius staring at her. She couldn't help but smile and wave. He had saved her life. Twice, today (and many times before, too). She _should _be worried about her own well-being, but she was more concerned for Walter. Had it not been for Sylvester's bravery, _Walter _could be the one dead in the water. Not her. Not the bad guys.

And she didn't think she could live with herself had something terrible happened to him. Especially if it was because _he _had volunteered to go in her stead.

When Walter looked away to speak to an officer, Paige turned around and told her son she loved him and couldn't wait to come home and eat some ice cream. Or have something much, much stronger.

"Bye," Paige muttered quietly to her son before ending her call and dropping her phone into her purse. She started making her way towards Walter when a slender, smooth hand touched her shoulder. She spun around and found Walter's ex, Janice (if she remembered correctly) standing in front of her with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Yes?"

"Forgive me, but...," Janice smiled sweetly and glanced behind Paige (probably towards Walter, she guessed), "are you and Walter together?"

"Hm?" Paige blinked, totally not expecting such a forward question coming from her boss's ex.

"You and Walter. Are you together?"

Paige tried really hard not to blush. "No. We're not. We're just co-workers."

Janice curled a strand of her hair around her finger, "but you like him, right?" She paused before adding the question Paige was dreading, "and he likes you, yes?"

"It's... complicated," was the best response Paige could think of to accurately describe her relationship with Walter. And it was... very, _very _complicated.

"Want some advice?" Janice nodded towards Walter as Paige turned around and spotted him still talking to the officer. He was oblivious of their conversation, and she thought, perhaps, it was for the best. She didn't need to be interrogated by her boss about a conversation concerning her oh-so-lacking love life. Not that she really needed a love life; she had Ralph, and Ralph was everything to her. But still, she couldn't always ignore the intense feelings she sometimes had for a certain genius standing a hundred feet from her.

"Not really." Paige forced a smile. "I know you probably mean well, but Walter and I are strictly professional."

"I've seen the way he looks at you, and you, him." Janice raised her eyebrows and gave Paige a pointed look. "You two may be co-workers now, but I'm not blind. The two of you obviously care for one another." Before Paige could squeeze in a reply, Janice swiftly continued. "Look, if you want any sort of romantic relationship with Walter to work, you need to wait until he's able to emotionally connect with you. Otherwise, he'll get bored after a while, and it'll hurt. Trust me, from one woman to another, if you care for Walter as much as I think you do, then wait for _him_." Janice glanced over towards Walter again and then added, "It wouldn't be fair to him otherwise."

"Thank you for your advice, and I'm sure you meant well," Paige feigned another smile, "but...," she turned towards Walter and smiled even though he was still giving a statement to a police officer, "I don't need it." She tugged her purse closer to her body and dipped her head towards Janice. "Excuse me." Without another word, Paige ducked away from Walter's ex and met up with the very genius who often plagued her dreams when she slept. He had just finished talking to the officer when she popped up beside him. "Hey."

His eyes found hers. "Hi."

"While I was on the phone with Ralph, Cabe told me he was leaving to take Sylvester home. He figured we could take the city bus back to the garage if that was okay. If not, I'm sure we could find a way back some other way." Paige pointed towards the bus stop a few hundred feet behind her.

Walter pressed his lips together. He usually wasn't one for small, crowded spaces, but... if Paige was sitting next to him (or standing depending on the average influx of passengers before their stop), he was sure he'd be able to survive one night on the bus if he had to. "The bus sounds good."

Paige's eyes brightened and a smile found her lips. His decision was well worth her response. "Great!" She then extended her palm towards him, "shall we go to the bus stop, then?"

Walter glanced at her hand suspiciously. He knew what she was offering, but he wasn't sure he should take her hand. They weren't a couple. They were only friends.

Paige caught onto his conflict and rolled her eyes. "Friends can hold hands, too, Walter." Without giving him enough time to process her words, she reached for his hand and eagerly tugged him to the bus stop. "Come on."

As he caught up to her, Walter ever-so-slightly curled his fingers around hers, making Paige's heart spark mini fireworks inside her chest. She wasn't even sure if he was aware of what he had done, but she certainly wasn't complaining. And he didn't seem to mind, either.

As far as Paige was concerned, her relationship with Walter, no matter how awkward and strange and frustrating and exhilarating it might seem, was right where it was supposed to be.

And maybe someday it'll be something more, but for now? She was very contented with the way things were with Walter, and something told her that he was contented too.

**~ SCORPION~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

Let me know what you think! :D


	30. Too Many Martinis

**WriterFreak001: **

This one was fun to write! :D

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**Title** | Way Too Many Martinis

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige shows up at the garage around 2 am in the morning, drunk. Requested by sassy-siren on TUMBLR.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Way Too Many Martinis**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

She knew she shouldn't have stopped drinking after her third Martini, but based on the day she had had, she just had to have one more. But one more easily became three more. And by her sixth Martini, her head was spinning in crazy directions, and for the first time in years, it actually hurt to think.

Paige usually didn't drink so irresponsibly, but certain stresses in her life called for a night of hard liquor. She just wanted one night to drown away her hectic life and forget the custody battle she was facing with Ralph's father. She wanted _one _night to relax and not do or think of anything, but after she hurled her stomach contents onto the street as she swaggered from the bar to her car, she realized she'd made a dumb mistake.

She fished her purse for her keys, but her double-vision wasn't helping her dexterity at all, and she couldn't remember which compartment she'd dropped them in. Then again, she couldn't even remember if the bartender took them from her. He could very well have because no matter how hard she searched for her keys, they definitely weren't in her purse. Or... maybe they were and she was just too damn drunk to do a single thing.

So, unable to find her keys (or have the mind to go back into the bar and ask for them), Paige teetered away from her car and slowly sauntered down the dark streets of LA. It probably wasn't the best idea, but she didn't feel like waiting for a bus or calling someone to pick her up - especially since she had to stop and puke out her guts every ten or so minutes.

She really didn't have a plan. She _could _go home, but her apartment was miles away from the bar, or she _could _just go to the local park and hide under a rock. At least, then, she wouldn't have to deal with Drew and his lame claims against Scorpion for the night. She scuffled her feet along the concrete, just going wherever they dragged her, and it wasn't until she finally looked up did she realize she was walking towards the garage.

And despite her drunken assed self, she couldn't help but smile as she thought about the man who lived in the building to where she was slowly walking. She knew she'd be safe in the garage. She knew she could show up in a drunken stupor and not have to worry about her boss judging her. He might not tolerate drinking alcohol, but he was usually concerned with the reasons _behind _the drinking rather than the act itself.

When she finally arrived in front of the garage, she checked the time on her phone but couldn't make out the time. Her vision was too blurry, and she really didn't have half the mind she needed to check her watch. All she really needed to know was that it was dark, the silvery moon and twinkling stars were out in the sky, playing, and Walter was inside. The rest of the details didn't matter.

Before she hit her fist against the metal door, she felt another wave of nausea hit her, causing her to bend over and vomit to the side of the garage. God, she hated herself for drinking so much. _Why _did she drink so goddamn much?! When her nausea subsided, Paige slammed her hand against the door and called for Walter and a half-groaning voice, half-yelling. She didn't even call his name three times before the door opened swiftly for her.

"Paige?" Walter raised an eyebrow as he checked his watch. "It's two in the morning."

She opened her mouth to reply when she felt everything (well, what's left, anyway) in her stomach started to surface again. Instantly, she pushed past Walter and scrambled for the bathroom beyond the offices in the garage but only made it as far as the sink in the kitchen. Her wretching noises echoed throughout the garage, and God, she was so embarrassed. The last thing she ever wanted was for Walter to see her so wasted.

A hand pulled her hair away from her face as she continued throwing up in the sink and another rubbed her back. "I would do this for my sister whenever she was sick; it usually helped some," was all Walter said (as if he needed to explain himself for touching her without her permission) and continued soothing her back and holding her hair until she was done throwing up the very booze she intoxicated herself with.

After her horrendous nightmare had ended, Walter helped her to the couch, draped a blanket over her and said he'd fetch her some aspirin and would fix her something to drink for her nausea. She covered her eyes with her arm after he left for the kitchen (probably to clean up her vomit as well) and groaned, hoping to God that she'd forget this ever happened by morning.

"Here," Walter said, handing her a glass of water and two pills of aspirin. "It'll help with your headache." She grumbled a 'thank you' and threw the pills into her mouth before downing them with water. Then, Walter handed her another cup. "Here," he said again. "This is a homemade brew that'll ease your nausea. It doesn't taste the greatest, but it works." Again, she mumbled her gratitude and plugged her nose as she drank Walter's concoction in three large gulps.

He was right; it tasted terrible!

"Do you need me to send someone to go to your apartment and watch Ralph?" Walter asked as he whipped out his phone, ready to make a call if he needed to.

"No," she groaned. "He's at Billy's for the night."

"You didn't drive here, did you?" He recalled not seeing her car, but it didn't hurt to ask.

She shook her head violently. "Na-uh. Left it inside the bar. Or... at the bar... if that makes sense."

"Not really, but I understand what you're trying to say." Walter pursed his lips, making a note to pick up her car in the morning.

"You understand a lot of me," Paige's drunken smile sent shivers down Walter's spine. "It's like you can see me naked..." Walter nearly choked on his spit at the very thought. "My thoughts, I mean. It's like you see my thoughts naked inside my mind."

"Uh-huh. Okay." Walter loosened his collar (it hot all of a sudden) and slipped his phone back into his pocket to distract. "N-Now get some rest. We'll talk later." He patted her arm twice as he rose to his feet and circled around the coffee table to head back into the kitchen. She called out his name, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. He turned around and took one step towards her. "Hm?"

"Thanks for being so..." her voice faded; she couldn't think of the words she wanted to say. Everything was muddled around her as her body started to float on a cloud in the cerulean sky.

"Thanks for being so, _what_?" Walter blinked as he walked closer to her. He bent down again and inspected her.

She was fast asleep.

**~ SCORPION ~**

A few hours later, Walter came down from the loft to check on Paige, still very curious to understand _why _she drank so much alcohol. He knew she wasn't irresponsible with her drinking, and he was worried the reason she had consumed so much alcohol was because of something he had done... or that something had happened on the job that he wasn't aware of. He ran many likely scenarios inside his mind, but nothing really added up. He said or did dumb things around her all the time, and her job hadn't exactly been easy from the start, either. The more he spent time thinking about it, the more he was convinced that something else was going on in Paige's life... _something _he nor the other members of the team didn't know about.

"You're awake," Walter beamed way more than he should have as he scurried towards her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Paige issued him a small smile. "I don't feel nauseated anymore. So that's good. Still have a headache though, but the aspirin is helping... Could have been a lot worse, I guess."

She pulled her feet away from the far couch cushion closest to the door to the garage, leaving some room for him to sit down if he wanted. He didn't sit down at first, but after counting to 60 and realizing Paige wasn't going to slide her feet back over the cushion, he cautiously sat down and angled himself towards her.

They sat in an awkward silence for several minutes before Walter finally said something to break it. "Not that it's, um, really my business, but..."

"Why did I drink?" Paige cut him off, and he curtly nodded to confirm her guess. She pushed her hair back and stretched. "A lot's been going on, I guess."

"Is it, uh, related to Scorpion? Is this job too much for you? Too stressful?" Walter prepared himself for whatever answer she was going to give him, but he was inwardly delighted when she shook her head.

"No. It has nothing to do with my job with Scorpion... not directly, at least." Paige refused to look at Walter and stared at her fingers as she picked at a seam on the blanket Walter had draped over her several hours ago.

"I don't follow." Walter arced a brow.

Paige heaved a loud sigh."It's Drew."

"Is he back in town?" Walter asked almost too quickly, unsure what the unpleasant feelings bubbling inside him were. Anytime anyone mentioned that lowlife's name, Walter felt uneasy.

"No. Not yet. He's still in Maine." Paige still didn't look up at Walter.

"Is he trying to convince you and Ralph to move up there with him?" Walter, now, was only guessing. Paige wasn't exactly giving him straight details so he had to fish for the answers himself if he wanted her to talk to him.

"Sometimes," Paige shrugged. "But he's filed for full custody rights since I've neglected to move Ralph up to Portland. I have to find a lawyer by the end of the week, but because of my job, I don't have time to look for a good one, and since that's the case, Drew might just win because he's making claims against Scorpion, too." Now that everything was out in the open, she couldn't stop herself. "He's accusing Scorpion of being an unfit and unsafe place for Ralph, all due to one incident. He's saying that Scorpion takes up so much of my time that I barely have time to spend with Ralph and help him when he needs it." She groaned as her headache worsened, but it didn't keep the words from flowing out of her mouth.

"He doesn't understand a single damn thing about this company, and yet, he thinks he has the power to degrade it and make it seem like I'm taking my son to a haz-mat zone! I mean, who the hell does he think he is to tell me I'm self-centered and not thinking about my son!?" She wanted to punch something, but she settled for crumpling up part of the blanket in her hands, "I mean, I understand, from his perspective, that it might seem like I'm cutting him out and not letting him be a part of Ralph's life, but I'm not! I never told him he couldn't come and visit if he wanted to be a part of Ralph's life!" She suddenly groaned into her hands, and Walter wasn't sure how to handle this side of Paige. He had never seen her so frustrated before, and, when she had literally tried to squeeze the life out of the blanket clutched in her hands, he, for a second, was more scared of her than he was of Happy.

Now things were all coming together. Ralph was Paige's whole world; it's no wonder she would resort to alcohol, but still..., Walter felt like drinking didn't have to be the only solution to help Paige deal with Drew's idiocy.

"I can't lose him, Walter," Paige was now crying rivers into her hands, and Walter was starting to grow very uncomfortable around her. He never handled emotional situations very well, and he knew he could say something insensitive to her even though he might try to console her. "I can't lose Ralph."

"You won't," was all he said as he sat very still, not sure if he should move closer to her or not. To his surprise, Paige helped him make that decision for him by twisting around on the couch and wrapping her arms around Walter's torso. She pressed her cheek against his side, and he froze, slightly hoping her sudden forward behavior was nothing more than an aftereffect of the alcohol still in her system.

"And," Paige sniffed, "And I don't want to lose you either."

Walter's ears perked, wondering what she could have meant. Perhaps she meant 'you' as in everyone in Scorpion - not just _him _specifically. That seemed like the most logical explanation. Walter was most likely nothing more than a representative of the team; yeah, that had to be it. That had to be what she meant.

Again, he said, "You won't," answering in the team's stead.

"A-are you sure?"

"Yes," was all he said.

Walter couldn't believe how one person could cause so much stress on Paige's life. He now had every reason to hate Drew even more and was confident the man's case gets dropped. Virtually, there's no case to begin with. Paige was a good mother, and Ralph also wanted to stay in LA, too. No court would side with a man who had only reunited with his son half a year ago.

"There's no way Drew will win," Walter said to reassure Paige everything would be all right. "A judge would have to be an idiot to side with him."

Paige looked up at Walter with tear-stained eyes, her mascara running down her cheeks. "How can you be so sure?"

Walter paused for a moment and slightly smiled. "I only state facts, remember?" Seeing the small smile color her lips told him he had said something right, after all. "And," he added, "the fact is, is that you are a phenomenal mother, Paige. You listen to Ralph; you might not always understand his wants, but you _do _understand his needs. Don't sell yourself short; you might think Ralph's involvement with us... with Scorpion... is what has improved his social habits, but in full honesty? We may have helped open him up a bit, but you're the one who planted the seed. You're the one who never gave up on him even though he might have frustrated you or ignored you. Any social worker and any judge would see that you are an exceptional mother for an exceptional boy, and if Drew can't see that, then he's ignorant...and probably a whole other list of adjectives I shouldn't address in front of you."

Paige's growing smile burst into laughter, and Walter couldn't help but grin. Once again, he had said something right.

"Thanks, Walter," Paige dabbed her cheeks and sniffed, "I needed to hear that."

"Anytime." Walter felt better now that Paige was feeling better. "Now," Walter reached for the blanket and draped it over her again, "It's still early in the morning. Get some more rest, and when you wake up, we'll go get your car."

"Okay," Paige quickly leaned upward and kissed his cheek softly before sinking back down, closing her eyes and snuggling close to Walter. Walter's eyes were wide with surprise for several seconds until a soft kiss to his shoulder broke him from his frozen state.

As though Paige was worried he'd leave her, she quietly begged him to stay and let her hold him for a while longer. And for some reason, he couldn't resist such a request.

While intending to leave her for his own bed upstairs after she fell asleep, he never anticipated wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him just before falling asleep right beside her.

...

They never slept so peacefully.

**~ SCORPION~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

Let me know what you think! :D


	31. Kiss Me, I'm Irish

**WriterFreak001: **

I wrote this back in March for St. Patrick's Day. This is WAIGE's version of it. :) Thought I would add something light and fluffy for all of you. I wrote this in CHAT format on Tumblr so I'm not going to change it. :)

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**Title** | Kiss Me, I'm Irish

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | I'm not really sure how to describe this story. You're just going to have to read it. Includes a lot of Waige and a hot Quintis moment for Quintis lovers.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K. Enough said.

**POV** | Omniscient Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Kiss Me, I'm Irish**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One Shot**

**~ SCORPION ~**

**Paige:** So, what is Mr. 197 planning for St. Patrick's Day?

**Walter:** *lifts an eyebrow* Nothing? You know how I feel about holidays.

**Paige:** Yeah, and?

**Walter:** And, what?

**Paige:** *laughs* I figured St. Patrick's Day would be different with you being Irish, and all. *sits on the corner of Walter's desk* I hear Sylvester and Megan are going out to dinner to celebrate. Toby and Happy - well, I'm not entirely sure what they're going to do, but Toby said he had plans...elsewhere. Cabe's taking Ralph to Griffith Observatory so it's just you and me.

**Walter:** *gulps and closes his computer, giving Paige his undivided attention* J-just us?

**Paige:** Yup. So... What will it be, Walter? An Irish feast? Something to do with Irish folklore? An Irish movie marathon? *stands up and folds her arms across her chest* Obviously, you don't have to pick right now, but... *smirks* if you don't choose soon, I'll just go about LA and spend my evening with the first taker.

**Walter:** Th-that won't be necessary. I'm sure I can think of s-something. *gulps again and rises to his feet*

**Paige:** *smiles, circles around his desk and gives Walter a quick kiss on the cheek* I knew you wouldn't let me down.

**Walter:** *freezes from Paige's sudden forwardness* Yep. Okay.

**Paige:** *playfully smacks Walter's cheek and then turns to walk away.

**Walter:** *gulps as he watches her make her way to the kitchen*

**Toby:** Duuuude. *walks up to Walter* Count your blessings, man.

**Walter:** *folds his arms in front of him* And why should I do that?

**Toby:** Because you're Irish - like, literally, Irish.

**Walter:** So?

**Toby:** *chuckles* You'll see what I mean tonight. Let's just say... Something tells me you're going to receive a 'lot' more than just a kiss on the cheek if Paige has anything to say about it.

**Walter:** *blink* What makes you say that?

**Toby:** *shrugs* No reason. *starts to walk away*

**Walter:** Toby!? Toby! *grabs the shrink's arm* What do you mean by that?

**Toby:** Ever heard of the saying 'Kiss me. I'm Irish?'

**Walter:** Yes. What of it?

**Toby:** Come on, 197! Think about it! That saying is commonly used on St. Patty's Day - which is today. From experience, we all know our favorite liaison has a thing for holidays and takes them seriously.

**Walter:** I know that.

**Toby:** Dude. You're Irish. Connect the dots. It's St. Patty's Day, and you're practically a walking, talking kiss-o-mania advertisement for our dear translator. So... My advice to you: practice your pucker. *chuckles and leaves for his desk*

**Walter:** *gulps and then glances at Paige who smiles back* Oh, boy. I'm in trouble.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001:  
**

I know it's probably annoying to read it like that, but I didn't want to change it. However, if I get enough reviews asking me to make it into an actual story (without changing the quotes), then I will. For now, however, it's going to stay the same. :)


	32. The Invitation (1)

**WriterFreak001: **

For my St. Patrick's Day short, I will plan on transcribing it into story format sometime after _Poaching _is completed. I wanted to get this little fic out before returning to _Poaching_. This, at most, will be 3 parts. :) Enjoy!

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**Title** | The Invitation

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige received a wedding invite from one of her long-forgotten college friends; wanting to catch up, Paige decided to go and added Walter as her plus one… without asking him. What will he say when she brings it up? And… more importantly, will she go? (requested by kstarbear on TUMBLR)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T… for now…

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**The Invitation**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 1**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Come on, Walter," Paige laughed as she waved the wedding invitation in the air while circling around the man in order to stop him from walking away from her. "It'll be fun!"

"No." Walter answered quickly, stepping around her. He carefully took a sip from his coffee cup and pretended she wasn't following him to his desk. As predicted, the moment he sat down, Paige slapped the light blue and white invitation down in front of him and crossed her arms perceptibly.

"It's just one night, Walter." Paige tapped her foot impatiently and cocked her head while studying the man's features. When he didn't respond, she sighed. "Look, at least tell me _why _you won't go."

"Won't go where?" Toby interjected as he strode into the garage with his coffee in one hand and his hat twirling in the other.

"Nowhere." / "To a wedding with me." Walter and Paige swiftly answered together.

Toby, very intrigued, blinked and then glanced at Paige. "You were invited to a wedding?"

"Yes," Paige smiled. "An old friend from the time I spent in college is getting married this weekend, and I already RSVP'd, hoping _Walter _would go as my plus one." She shot a nasty glare towards the 197 IQ genius. "Just didn't think he'd say 'no.'"

"Oh?" Toby smirked at Walt who was purposely avoiding eye contact; he was going to have a field day with this. "And why is that, _Miss Dineen_?" He approached them with a spring in his step, unable to hold back his enthusiasm. "Why _are_ you soconfident 197 wouldn't turn you down?"

Walter visibly froze and _possibly_ blanched as Paige's cheeks flushed. "N-No reason," she stammered.

"And _why_ is the patriarch of geniuses refusing to go out on this fine weekend?" Toby cocked his eyebrow and dramatically scrolled his scrutiny towards Walter. "Hm?"

"Social events are a waste of time." Walter said way too quickly before casually taking a swig of his coffee.

Paige, obviously hurt from Walter's usual, go-to response, blinked back her oncoming tears and stormed away from the geniuses. "Fine. Whatever. I'll go by myself."

Walter immediately regretted his words as he watched her disappear up the stairs, cringing the moment she slammed the door. He then sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I screwed that one up, didn't I."

"Yup." Toby took a sip from his coffee. "Look at the bright side: at least you're starting to recognize the error of your ways," the shrink mumbled, receiving an unpleasant glare from Walter. "Anyway, so," Toby plopped his hat onto his head and shifted his weight a little as he leaned towards 197, "Why does Walter the Great not want to go with Paige to a wedding? _Clearly _she's excited about it."

"Weddings are based on a myth; if people want to get married, fine, but marriage could be easily accomplished in a court room by a justice of peace. Why waste hundreds of dollars for a ceremony that only happens once between two people?" Walter pursed his lips and scrolled his chair backwards. "It doesn't make sense."

"No it doesn't," Toby shook his head and chuckled, "but if a wedding ceremony makes a couple happy, then why question the power of nuptials?" He paused for a moment to see if Walter had processed his comment, but the genius only stared at the shrink. "However," Toby took a step towards Walter, "you didn't answer my question."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't. You merely complained about weddings in general; why, specifically, do you not want to go with Paige as her plus one to a wedding?" Toby flexed his hands and rocked on his heels. "You like her, and she is obviously crazy about you; otherwise, she would have signed herself up for the singles' table. Makes no sense why you wouldn't want to go with her."

"I don't have time for this," Walter rose to his feet and circled around the shrink, making his way towards his rocket. Toby immediately placed his coffee down on his desk and followed Walter.

"You want to know what I think?"

"No. Not really."

"Well, you're gonna hear it anyway." Toby pranced over to the space beside Walter and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I think you're scared."

Walter feigned laughter. "Absurd."

"Is it?" Toby raised an eyebrow, and Walter's forced smile faded, and he quickly looked away. Toby counted a three second delay before the man's shoulders fell.

"Okay. Yes. The thought of going to a wedding ceremony with Paige unnerves me. Happy?" Walter groaned as he rubbed his temples.

"No, I'm not. She's actually running behind today." Toby deadpanned, and Walter rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Forget it." Walter turned from Toby and stared at his rocket, even though he wasn't in the frame of mind to work on any project right now.

"Walt," Toby touched the genius's shoulder, "It's okay to be freaked out about things, you know? You probably feel some incredibly intense feelings for Paige, and the thought of going to a social event celebrating the nuptials of a romantic liaison most likely makes your head spin because you'd be watching two perfect strangers undergo a ceremony in which Paige would most likely like to have someday. It's an overwhelming thing for any guy to experience."

Walter sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Nuptials are celebrations of love – of something that doesn't exist. Attending a wedding would negate everything I believe in."

"First of all, that's _your _opinion. And a faulty one, at that, but let's save _that_ conversation for another day. Attending one wedding's not going to shake your foundation, Walt. Think of it as a favor… for Paige. You keep telling me you want to repay her for everything she's done for Scorpion so why not repay her this weekend? Why not loosen up a little and have some fun? You _are _entitled, you know."

"Attending a wedding… a social function… does not sound fun."

"Humor me for a sec." Toby mused as Walter sighed. "Earlier, you said social functions are a waste of time, yes?"

"Correct."

"So… tell me, 197, is having Paige around a waste of time?"

Walter shot a look of shock towards the shrink. "No. Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Well," Toby shrugged, "you say social functions aren't worth your time; Paige is your liaison to society… to normal people…. If you think attending a wedding or any social event is a waste, then why did you hire Paige? What was the point of hiring Paige if you aren't going to try to connect with normals?" Toby frowned; he was disappointed with Walter for callously hurting his friend's feelings, and he wasn't going to live it down until Walt races up to the loft to apologize to Paige. When Walter didn't answer, Toby continued. "I don't think Paige's upset because you refuse to attend the wedding with her; I think she's upset because you basically told her, unintentionally of course, that her job was pointless… that having her around… to help you socialize with others is nothing but a waste of time."

"That's not what I meant, and you know that." Walter snapped, starting to walk away from Toby.

"You're right; I _do _know that and Paige might know it too, but…"

"But what?"

"But words hurt more than you think, 197." Toby answered quietly as he scuffed his foot against the floor. "Anyway, I think we've had enough psychobabble for today…." As Toby started for his desk, Walter called out to him. The shrink spun around and blinked. "Yes?"

"If…," Walter swallowed the lump in his throat and pursed his lips, "If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"

Toby shoved his hands into his pockets again and approached the genius slowly. "I'd march up to that loft and apologize. And… if I'm not dead yet, I'd take her up on her invitation."

When Walter didn't move, Toby lifted an eyebrow. "You're hesitating. Why?"

Walter rubbed his temples and closed his eyes, "I _really_ don't like social functions."

"You _do _like Paige, though." Toby shrugged.

"Yet, social functions require conversation…. I'd bore people, and people would bore me." Walter stared at the ground, kicking at nothing.

"But you don't bore Paige, and Paige definitely doesn't bore you," Toby patted Walter's back again. "Stop fishing for excuses, 197, and give Paige some credit. You may still be learning how to emote effectively, Walter, but you're not the only one who has feelings. If you want my opinion, even though she doesn't show it, I'm sure she's scared too. You know her life, at least romantically, hasn't been a cakewalk. The possibility of letting someone else besides Ralph into her safe little cocoon probably frightens her to no end, but she's taking initiative and asking you to company her to a friend's wedding. Paige is obviously willing to take a risk; why can't you?"

Walter shot Toby an almost pained expression, but the shrink decided to dismiss it and dress that wound a different day. "Everything else aside, 197" Toby smirked, deciding to lighten up the mood, "if you go with Paige to this wedding, you'll have the chance to see her in a sexy number again – not to mention possibly dancing with her, too. Last I heard, you really liked getting all hot and cozy with her at that gala we snuck into."

Walter stiffened. He actually didn't think of that. Paige in a long, formal dress and for him to have a chance to hold her again… dance with her again… feel her soft skin under the pads of his fingers….

"But then again," Toby stoically shrugged when Walter didn't answer, "if you _don't _go, Paige just might find a lucky man at the singles' table and dance with _him _all night long."

Walter's eyes shot open, and he set his jaw.

He didn't think of that one either.

And before he knew it, he was bolting up the stairs towards the loft, hoping Paige would forgive him for being such an ass earlier.

Toby chuckled and shook his head. "Never seen him run so fast."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001:**

I had fun writing part 1! :) Let me know what you think! :)


	33. The Invitation (2)

**WriterFreak001: **

I felt inspired so here's part two! :)

* * *

**Title** | The Invitation

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige received a wedding invite from one of her long-forgotten college friends; wanting to catch up, Paige decided to go and added Walter as her plus one… without asking him. What will he say when she brings it up? And… more importantly, will she go? (requested by kstarbear on TUMBLR)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T… for now…

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**The Invitation**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 2**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Paige really didn't know why she stormed to the loft of all places, but before she knew it, she'd found herself lounging on one of Walter's couches with her head buried in her arms. Walter's comment shouldn't have hurt her feelings so much because she knew it wasn't directed towards her, but the thought of him thinking that an evening together would be a waste of time really tugged on her heart. She _knew _he didn't particularly like social functions, but she assumed, with her by his side, he would be able to at least tolerate one evening of presumable torture. But apparently she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.

Paige wasn't sure how long it's been since she stomped into Walter's apartment, but she heard someone's footsteps racing up the stairs and could only guess whom he could be. She quickly dried her tears and inhaled a deep breath as she draped her arm over her eyes, praying for some strength to face Walter. The door creaked open, but she didn't move. She figured, at times like this, the silent treatment was best.

Seconds past, and all she heard was him sitting down on the couch across from her; she expected him to say something, but he didn't. For minutes, no words were said between them, and Paige was growing impatient. She was so close to snapping at him to speak, but he beat her to it.

"I'm sorry," Walter muttered quietly and swallowed. "What I said earlier was… insensitive… and… uncalled for…. And because of _what _I said, I had upset you, and for that, I'm sorry." He paused as Paige pulled her arm away from her eyes to look at him. She slowly sat up and brought her knees to her chest before he continued. "I, uh," he lightly chuckled, "I just wasn't thinking…."

Paige twisted her hair over her shoulder and leaned forward, planting her chin between her knees. "You don't say things you don't mean, though."

"True. I don't." Walter pursed his lips and ran his hand through his hair. "But," he loosened his tie and clasped his hands into his lap as he leaned towards her. "Um… things are different with you."

Paige cocked her head and lifted her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Walter anticipated her query and stared deeply and intently into her brown eyes to answer her question. "Things… things I don't typically enjoy… are more tolerable when I'm with you…." He paused for a brief moment, and when she didn't say anything, he asked, "Um…, am I… am I making sense?"

She slowly nodded as she combed her fingers through her hair. "If that's true, then…," Paige bit her lip, "then why don't you want to go to the wedding with me?" Walter inhaled slowly as he inched backwards. He had anticipated her question, but he wasn't sure he was prepared to answer it. "Walter," Paige glided off of the couch, circled around the coffee table and sat down next to him. She then thought about repeating her question but decided to approach the subject differently. "I know things have changed between us… and our relationship will most likely _be _different from before your accident, but… is it _so _different that you're now uncomfortable around me?"

Walter jerked his head towards her and cocked his brow, "No…?"

"Then why don't you want to go to the wedding with me, Walter?" She asked again, hoping he could supply her with an answer this time.

Walter sighed and raked his hand through his dark curls. "I'm not… uncomfortable… with you…. I'm just…," How to phrase it so she could possibly understand? "I'm just uncomfortable with the idea of _being_ with you…." He gazed into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity while waiting for Paige to respond, but she didn't.

She wasn't even sure _what _to say.

Taking her silence as an indication that she didn't understand him, he inhaled a deep breath and tried again. "What I mean to say is…," he scratched his head, "w-what I'm _trying _to say is…," he gulped and then clenched his fists, "well… I, uh…," he cleared his throat to forcibly pull the words out of his mouth and focused on what he wanted to say, "the idea of being with you… alone… at any social event… is somewhat overwhelming…. Being with you makes me, uh, makes me feel things I usually don't feel…. So, um…, The reason I don't want to go to your friend's wedding is, uh, is because I… I don't think I'd be able to handle these new feelings in a foreign environment surrounded by people I don't know…. All of that…," he gestured with his hands, "Accumulated together… is a lot to process at once."

"Well," Paige's deep brown eyes met his, "these feelings you feel… are they good ones? Do they… do they make you feel… good?"

Walter quietly nodded, unsure of the trap he had potentially walked himself into. "I'd say they do."

"Do you feel them every time you're around me?" Paige softly asked as she inched closer to him. He secretly wanted her closer.

"M-Most of the time, yeah."

"Then…," she bit her lip, "then they aren't entirely new, correct?"

Walter hesitated and then dryly muttered, "That… That assumption is correct."

"And…," Paige shrugged as she twisted herself towards him, "the wedding is in LA so… the place isn't _completely _foreign."

"I guess…," Walter gulped, "I guess that's technically true."

"So…, really…," Paige leaned dangerously close to him as she hooked her arms around his neck, "all that leaves are the people…."

"It," Walter's heart pounded against his chest, and he was 98% sure she could hear it, but she seemed to be completely oblivious to it, "seems," he cleared his throat again, "It seems to be that way."

A small smile colored her lips as she brazenly climbed on top of him to straddle his hips, bringing her warm palms to his cheeks. Her thumbs caressed the smooth skin underneath his eyes as she closed hers and pressed her forehead to his. "Walter," she touched her nose to his as he inwardly reveled in her touch, taking in her sweet scent. "I wouldn't have asked you to go to the wedding with me if I didn't think you weren't capable of handling everything," she pulled back gently and smiled as her fingers brushed through his curly hair. She then let out a tiny laugh, "You're not the only one who's dealing with new feelings. I haven't felt like this," her thumb strummed over his lips, "for anyone in a long time. The way I feel about you is new to me too."

Walter, ever so speechless, was completely and utterly amazed by this woman; no matter what sort of flaw he saw of the world, she had a unique way of chucking everything he usually said out the window. Over the past year, his opinions on many things had changed because of Paige, and he regretted nothing. She made him a better version of himself. She helped him connect dots he didn't see and found ways to truly help him see the world through her eyes. She had bridged the divide for him in more ways than one, and even when he sometimes didn't understand himself… nor understand the new version of himself… she was able to guide him. There were a thousand things he wished he could say to her… do for her… to let her know how appreciative he was of her, but no matter how hard he tried to speak the words he wanted to say, he couldn't articulate them….

At least… not the way in which she deserved to hear them.

He gazed into her eyes for a timeless eternity and desperately wanted to reciprocate her touch, but he didn't dare move. He wanted to do things right and not screw anything up; he didn't trust himself to touch her… or to hold her….

Paige, sensing his struggle, reached for his hand and slid her fingers between his knuckles as she brought his palm up to her lips. She then latched her arms around his neck again and lightly kissed his cheek. "I've tried so hard to hold back and ignore what I feel for you, Walter," Paige mumbled as she trailed short, hot kisses along his jawbone, stopping short of his ear to whisper, "but I can't… so I won't."

Walter closed his eyes and exulted in everything she was as Paige feathered her lips down his neck towards his collar. The way her mouth tickled his neck and how she slowly, mindlessly rolled her hips against his made him feel pleasantly tingly all over.

And God, did he want more.

Paige softly pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips and then touched her forehead to his as she cupped his cheeks and resisted all temptation to kiss him hungrily on the mouth. "If going to that wedding makes you too uncomfortable, then I'm not going to force you to go, Walter, but…," she smiled as she looked into his deep, brown eyes and grazed her fingernails over the side of his face, "if you _do _go," her thumb rubbed across his bottom lip, "I won't have any expectations. We can just sit and talk if that's what you'd like; we don't have to dance or meet and greet every person invited to the ceremony. I just," she nearly closed the distance between them with her nose touching his and whispered, "I just want you there…with me."

"Okay," he mumbled as his palms found her cheeks, holding her undeniably close to him. "I'll go." He thought about kissing her, and boy, did he want to kiss her, but he didn't want to mess things up so he settled for pressing a light kiss against her cheek, close to her mouth. "For you," he slowly combed his fingers through her soft, chestnut hair, "I'll go."

Her lips curved to an appreciative smile before she dropped her head to his shoulder and closed her eyes, kissing him gently on the neck. She reached for his right hand and laced her fingers with his before uttering, "Thank you, Walter."

"You're welcome," he whispered and stared at their conjoined fingers as his left hand mindlessly pulled at strands of her hair. He carefully dropped a quick kiss to the top of her head and decided to keep the rest of his concerns to himself as he held her.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001:**

Sorry this chapter was late. I was struggled a little with a few things in this chapter, wondering what sort of ending I should apply to it. Hopefully this one is satisfactory. Today has been a long day due to my sister's car accident (she's okay, though) so that's why this update took longer than planned.

I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that I will be posting less frequently, but the good news is that I finally got a job. I'll post when I can, though. :)


	34. The Invitation (3)

**WriterFreak001: **

And the final segment you've been waiting for! :) Sorry it took longer than I thought to get this up. I've been dealing with a lot of crap lately so I wasn't in the mood to write. HOWEVER, after watching the sneak peeks for the first episode of Scorpion, I am feeling infinitely better! :) ENJOY!

BY THE WAY, in case you were confused from the previous chapter, Walter and Paige had a complicated relationship. Both of them knew they liked each other, and they've tried to keep things strictly professional, but it wasn't working out. In this story's universe, they sort of have a semi-established relationship where occasionally, they'll have romantic moments they share together in privacy (hence part 2), but they at least try to keep a professional image in front of the team. It's… complicated. It's kind of like… they want to be together so they have times where they act on their desires to be together, but for most of the time, their relationship is professional.

* * *

**Title** | The Invitation

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige received a wedding invite from one of her long-forgotten college friends; wanting to catch up, Paige decided to go and added Walter as her plus one… without asking him. What will he say when she brings it up? And… more importantly, will she go? (requested by kstarbear on TUMBLR)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T… for now…

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**The Invitation**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 3**

~ SCORPION ~

**Saturday Evening**

"Relaaaax, 197," Toby rolled his eyes after watching Walter roll his neck, bounce his shoulders and wriggle his arms through his black sports coat jacket. "It's just a wedding, Walt. It's not like the two of you getting married." Walter shot Toby a glare, and the shrink jumped back, waving his hands in defense. "Just saying."

Walter, not really in the mood for any more of Toby's psychobabble, decided to change the subject as he readjusted his dark red tie. "What are you even doing here? I sent everyone home hours ago."

Toby shrugged as he twirled his hat into the air. "I wanted to make sure you don't screw things up before you lovebirds even leave the garage. That, and I'm watching Ralphy-boy tonight."

"Ah," Walter muttered as he circled around his desk and headed for the stairs. As Toby hopped off of his own desk and started towards the stairs, Walter turned towards him and glared at him. "Don't follow."

The shrink, once again, rose his hands in defense and backed away from Walter as the super genius climbed up the stairs towards the loft. Walter, grateful Toby actually listened to him, disappeared inside his apartment and sauntered towards the couch. Overly anxious about the entire evening, Walter sank into the sofa and groaned into his hands. He could do this. He _had _to do this. Paige rarely asked anything of him, and he didn't want to disappoint her a second time.

For minutes, he sat there, lost in thought, trying to calm his nerves, but nothing he did helped. He didn't know what he was dreading more – the actual ceremony, itself, or the thought of spending several hours alone with Paige in a romantic atmosphere without the constant interruptions they usually have from the team. Granted, they would be surrounded by a sea of people, but he was fairly certain he'd be so focused on Paige that he wouldn't even remember where he was.

The thought of… being with Paige… dancing with her… holding her close again… was overwhelming, but at the same time, exciting. Walter _wanted _all of those things with her, but… what if he screwed up? Said something he wouldn't mean or do something stupid (again)? He would presumably be the only one out of his element – everyone else there would be… average. Normal. Accepted.

Perhaps agreeing to go with Paige was a bad idea after all.

As he lost himself in his thoughts, he didn't notice Paige slowly walking towards him. She bent down in front of him and gently moved his palms away from his face and linked her fingers with his. "Hey," she smiled warmly before planting a soft kiss on top of Walter's left hand. She carefully cupped his face and rubbed her thumbs over the taut skin underneath his tired eyes. "What's wrong, Walter?"

He sat silently, afraid anything he'd say would upset her.

"Walter," Paige brushed her fingers lightly through his hair, and he shamefully looked away from her. "Talk to me."

He exhaled softly and pursed his lips as he pulled away from her and rose to his feet. "Maybe this is a bad idea…." He ran his hands through his curly hair and groaned as Paige approached him. He shook his head violently, "I don't think I can do this."

"Walter…," Paige touched his arm gently, hoping he would talk to her, but he collapsed onto the couch again and grunted again. Paige took a seat next to him and touched his knee, hoping to provide him some comfort, "why do you say that?"

Walter grumbled something incoherent before exhaling loudly and muttering, "Guys like me don't fit into crowds found at social functions. I'll either be a walking embarrassment to you for being so different than _them_, or I'll mess up somehow…. It's just… I don't think going to this thing with you is wise…. You'd probably have more fun, anyway, with someone more adapted to normalcy."

Paige laced her fingers with his and brought the back of his hand to her lips. "Walter," she leaned against his shoulder and kissed his arm, "I don't care about those things. I just want you to be you and not have to worry about other people, okay? There's nothing wrong with you, and if people think there is, then they have another thing coming." She stood up and planted her feet between his knees and cupped his cheeks, forcing him to gaze into her eyes. "If I wanted to go with someone more normal, I would have asked someone more normal." She gently pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes as he closed his. "I _want _to go with you and only you. If you mess up, say something stupid in front of people, then I'll do something equally stupid to make us the talk of the night. I'm your translator so I'm not going to abandon you or make you look stupid in front of anybody." She lightly kissed his forehead and smoothed dark red lipstick residue off of him. She smiled and whispered, "We're a team, remember?"

Feeling slightly better, Walter returned her grin. "Yeah; I guess you're right."

"I _know _I'm right." Paige laughed and playfully smacked his cheeks. "Are you ready?"

He let out an airy breath and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Great!" Paige exclaimed, pulling Walter up to his feet and leading him towards the stairs. "You drive."

"Okay."

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter often found himself staring at Paige throughout the wedding ceremony whenever he needed a distraction. He tried listening to everything happening at the front of the sanctuary, but not being able to place meaning behind anything being said between the priest and the couple getting married placed him at a huge disadvantage. It greatly frustrated him, and he was tempted several times to leave in the middle of the nuptials, but seeing Paige so intrigued by the whole thing fascinated him. He could spend days watching her and never grow bored. Through mere observation, he detected three different emotions in which she experienced during the exchange of the vows and a fourth when the bride and groom shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

He wondered if she experienced those emotions for all weddings, or if they were only unique to this particular ceremony.

Maybe, someday, he'd have a chance to find out.

He secretly hoped so.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"So, looks like you survived the ceremony," Paige laughed as she pulled him into the building where the newlyweds were having their wedding reception.

"I had a good distraction," Walter answered way too quickly and immediately regretted it.

"Oh?" Paige glanced at him before turning to sign the guest book, "what sort of distraction?"

Walter's voice cracked, "Just… focused heavily on something…. N-nothing in particular."

"Oh," Paige nodded as she dotted the I's in her name and crossed the 'T' in Walter's. When she was done, she grabbed his hand again and tugged him towards the other people. "Was … whatever it was… worth your while?"

"Definitely," Walter flushed, hoping she couldn't hear his heart beating loudly in his chest. "Anyway," Walter cleared his throat, "I'm starving."

"Me too," Paige chuckled as she squeezed his hand, "We can't eat, though, until the wedding party returns from their photo sessions. It _could _take a while." She led him to an isolated table and gestured for him to sit as she pulled out a chair herself. "Luckily," she said as both of them sat down, "I brought some snack bars." She released his hand momentarily to fish through her purse and grinned when she presented four granola bars. "Tada!"

"Smart thinking,"

"Well," Paige shrugged as she handed Walter a snack bar, "this isn't the first wedding I've been to…. I know how they usually go."

"Still," Walter grumbled as he chewed the granola bar, "It's impressive."

"How so?" Paige blinked before biting into her own bar.

Walter glanced about the room and discreetly pointed to all of the people. "I bet you 89% of everyone here has been to at least one wedding before this one; that being said, if weddings are typically the same, then it _should_be common sense to bring snacks to the reception, but based on a quick scan of the room, no one is, uh," he worded his thoughts carefully, "no one is as prepared as you."

Paige gave Walter a small smile as she plopped a piece of granola into her mouth. "Working with you… the team… has trained me to think ahead these days."

"A wise and valuable trait to have," Walter returned her smile, mesmerized by her beauty. The sensuous way her hair framed her face in ringlets and how her sexy (very, _very _sexy, to be honest) pale blue, low-cut dress hugged her body flawlessly did not go unnoticed by the genius, and he often had a hard time keeping his line of sight _above _her shoulders. Staring into her eyes usually helped, though. "It's traits like those," he paused for a moment, smiling ear to ear, "that make you so special, Paige."

"You're just saying that because you're my boss," Paige bit her lip and flushed as she tried desperately to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She would take a compliment – regardless of context – from Walter any day.

"No," Walter leaned forward and boldly covered her hand with his, "I being serious." He carefully turned her hand over and gently entwined their fingers together, "You know me," he squeezed her hand, "when have I ever said anything I didn't mean?"

Paige was fluttery all over and could literally feel tiny rockets bursting underneath her tingly skin. For a guy who claimed he was unromantic, he certainly had a history of making her weak in the knees. It was _definitely _a good thing she was sitting. Her nose wrinkled upward with happiness as she leaned closer to him, almost meeting him nose to nose. "Since we're being honest here," Paige kissed his palm, "I –"

Much to her dismay, Paige's thoughts were abruptly cut off by the wedding party crazily making their way into the reception hall. Paige, slightly disappointed, composed herself and straightened her back as Walter cleared his throat and sat up as well. More and more people filed in, and, unfortunately, six other guests sat down at their table, making Walter visibly uncomfortable. Paige, underneath the table, continued holding his hand to distract him until it was time to line up for food. Paige tugged Walter towards the buffet line before reluctantly releasing his hand. He was very close to her as they walked through the line, wanting and needing her to be as close to him as possible. He wasn't sure why he was following so close behind her, but he trusted his instincts.

Once their plates were piled with assorted food, they returned to their table to place their food down before Walter left to fetch both of them cups of coffee as Paige guarded their seats. For a few minutes, Paige sat alone at the table and patiently waited for Walter to return before eating. A few of the guests who were sitting at her table were already getting chatty and eating their food, but Paige stayed silent. Her rosy lips curled to a warm smile as a cup of coffee was placed in front of her. Walter carefully set his down in front of his fork, and the moment he sat down, Paige automatically reached under the table and interlocked their fingers again, wishing he was infinitely closer.

For most of their meal, they ate in silence while enjoying each other's company and ignoring the others talking about various things neither genius nor liaison cared to hear. By the time dessert was served, one of the other guests prompted Walter and Paige to converse with the group. Walter wasn't exactly pleased, but he behaved as best as he could as Paige answered _most _of the pesky woman's incessant questions. The only contribution he made to the conversation was when they were discussing the purpose of his company. Luckily, when music started playing, the conversations died down as some of the couples left to dance. Walter was even more grateful when he and Paige were alone again.

"I thought they'd never leave," Walter whispered as slowly he leaned towards Paige. "Hearing them talk was almost as painful as constantly listening to Toby's psychobabble."

"I know right?" Paige chuckled. "I literally thought my ear was going to fall off." Paige slowly rose to her feet and forcibly pulled Walter to his. "I'm tired of sitting."

"Do you, uh," Walter glanced over to the frightening crowd of dancers and gulped, "wanna dance?"

Paige smiled but shook her head. "Not right now; I'd like to go for a walk instead. Is that okay with you?"

"Opposed to dancing?" Walter visibly nodded. "Absolutely."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

I decided to stop it here for now. You're in luck, one more chapter for this miniseries. :P

Let me know what you think! :D


	35. The Invitation (4)

**WriterFreak001: **

This time, I PROMISE this is the final segment to "The Invitation." ;) By the way, I am listening to Katharine McPhee's newest album "Hysteria" as I write this chapter :3

* * *

**Title** | The Invitation

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Paige received a wedding invite from one of her long-forgotten college friends; wanting to catch up, Paige decided to go and added Walter as her plus one… without asking him. What will he say when she brings it up? And… more importantly, will she go? (requested by kstarbear on TUMBLR)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T… for now…

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**The Invitation**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Part 4**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

With a gazillion thoughts on her mind, Paige silently tugged Walter outside the building towards a narrow walkway behind the back entrance of the reception hall and wrapped her arm around his as they slowly walked down the path leading away from the building. For many minutes, neither spoke, but they really didn't need to. Just being together was enough.

As they approached a small gazebo at the end of the path, Paige (who desperately needed to rest her feet and take off her godforsaken heels) led the genius to a readily available bench (she swore it was calling out to her) and encouraged him to take a seat next to her as she sat down herself. Boldly, Paige leaned her cheek against his shoulder and gazed at the ground, completely aware of Walter intensely staring at her. It took everything she had _not _to blush or grab his cheeks and kiss him hard on the mouth.

And oh, was she tempted.

To ease the tension, Paige, while still avoiding Walter's eyes, eventually said, "Even if," she bit her lip, "Even if you aren't enjoying the night, Walter," she curled a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled at him, "I'm really happy you came."

Walter, who could have supplied Paige a very detailed list of the things he did or didn't enjoy, settled for a simple (and still very accurate) response instead. "I'm glad I came too." Seeing the warm, happy smile stretch across Paige's lips told him he had actually said something right, and that excellent success made him smile widely in return.

Paige, suddenly timid in Walter's presence, bashfully looked away from him, but Walter, not once, turned his eyes away from her. She was like a drug to him… a mathematical algorithm he never wanted to solve… a dream he never wanted to end.

If only he knew how to tell her…

"Ever think about the future, Walter?" Paige, who was mindlessly fiddling with her clutch, bit her lip and braced herself for whatever reply the genius would instinctively cook up for her. She knew Walter wasn't one who liked heart-to-heart conversations, but she just… she couldn't helped, and she half-assumed he would find some reason to avoid answering her.

Walter, not totally expecting her question, blinked in surprise and bit his bottom lip as he fished for an answer to give her. He _could _ramble off a reason not to answer her, or he could lie to avoid telling her the truth, but… he didn't feel like he had to run from her like he did the rest of the world. So… he decided to do what he did best: state facts. Slowly, he inhaled a deep breath and released it before answering. "There was a time when I didn't…. I didn't see the point since I couldn't change it… I couldn't touch it… or try to solve the mysteries around it. I used to only focus on the past and the present because, by analyzing the past, I could essentially perfect the present to avoid repeating past mistakes. However," he raked his hand through his hair, "after my accident, I started thinking about the future more…. About the things I would have missed if, well, you know, if I had died."

Paige, completely surprised by his honest response, turned towards him in sympathy and blinked back her tears as she remembered all of the horrible, wretched feelings she felt that day when she saw him clinging to life on the edge of a cliff. All of the terrible things she said to him the night before, despite how many times he assured her the result of his reckless driving habits wasn't her fault, never sat well with her, and she would always feel guilty for pushing him past his emotional limits that night, but the relief of him sitting beside her, allowing her to hold him close to her, gave her peace of mind, allowing her to focus on the now instead of dwelling in the past. She _could _for the hundredth time, tell him she was sorry for everything that contributed to his accident, but she already knew what he would say. Instead, she found herself asking, "What kinds of things?"

"Oh, um," Walter shifted away from her a little bit and scratched the side of his face, unsure how to answer her. "Just… things…. You know… uh… missed opportunities…, um…, things like that."

"Ah," Paige half-expected he wouldn't elaborate, but he didn't need to…. She knew how difficult it was for him to express his feelings so the fact that he said anything at all tonight was a big plus in Paige's book. She didn't want to press him, and she was sure he would tell her when he was ready. He always _eventually _told her things… just never when she wanted to hear them.

Walter cleared his throat and awkwardly stared at the floor. He _wanted _to tell her how he often thought about the what-ifs (even though he really shouldn't need to since he was alive, well and fully functional)… how he often imagined having some sort of future with Paige… being some sort of father figure to Ralph and possibly raising a family of his own one day.

He never really considered those kinds of things before his accident; mostly because he just always assumed he would be alone for most of his life since he wasn't great with emotional connections and couldn't find substantial proof for the existence of love, but everything slowly changed after he met Paige. There were times, before his accident, that he did consider small glimpses of what his future could hold, but those fantasies all died when he saw Drew in Paige's apartment the day he ran off to tell her how he felt. Now, however, they often resurfaced, and he wondered if he could truly be happy with Paige… and so far, his secret analysis of his current and future relationship with the woman sitting next to him was quite pleasing.

"What about you?" He figured it would be polite to offer her the same question since she obviously brought it up to possibly reveal some sort of point he couldn't figure out. "Do you think about your future often?"

"Every day," Paige answered almost too quickly as she met his eyes and issued him a soft, but somewhat sad, smile. "Maybe not necessarily _my _future, but I think about Ralph's future a lot. I wonder about the kinds of amazing things he'll one day do, and the thought of me telling people that he's _my _son is something I can't _wait _to share. I know he'll be a great man… like you… one day, and it pleases me that all he wants to do is help people with his abilities. Knowing my son's going to have a solid, successful future brings me relief, and even though I'll probably constantly worry about him… as I do a lot for you…," she nervously laughed and tucked another loose strand of her hair behind her ear, "but I couldn't be prouder of him. Like you… like Scorpion…, Ralph will be able to save hundreds of lives."

"But…," Even with his terrible EQ levels, Walter could sense something was troubling her.

"But," she shrugged, avoiding eye contact, "but as I wonder about Ralph's future, I also tend to think about mine…. And I don't know… I just don't know what my life will be like when Ralph is off saving the world. I can't protect him forever so… as proud as I am of him and his future…, I know mine won't be as great as his. I'm not a genius so I can't compare to all of you guys, and who knows… in ten, twelve years, with Ralph's growing EQ, I might not be needed anymore."

"You'll always be needed, Paige," Walter quietly said, surprising himself as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. "Even _if _Ralph has a better EQ than all of us, he's still a genius, and Scorpion can't function without you. We need someone to remind us when to eat… to pull us out of our minds... to _literally _help us function. As you know, we don't function well without direction, and you help us stay on our feet…." He lightly kissed her temple, and softly added, "You are an important piece of the puzzle, Paige. Scorpion's always going to need you, and Ralph will too."

Paige closed her eyes to keep herself from ruining her makeup and inhaled a slow, shaky breath. Not once did she ever tell someone her concerns about the future. Sure, working for Scorpion had its benefits _now_, but she didn't know if they would still need in the future. A lot of things could happen in ten to fifteen years. When she finally found the courage to look into his deep, dark brown eyes, she couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth. "What about you?"

"… I need you too." Walter shifted his eyes away from hers and scratched the bridge of his nose, "I'll, uh, I'll always n—" Before he could finish his response, Paige leaned towards him and unexpectedly captured his lips with hers. Walter, initially shocked from the sudden force of her kiss, brought his palms to her cheeks and steadily held her face as he kissed her as passionately as she kissed him. Paige freely hooked her arms around Walter's neck to hold him close to her, needing him to feel everything she was giving him as she curled her fingers through his hair and moaned into his mouth.

Walter, too, did not shy away from giving her his all; he desperately needed her to know how important she was to him… how she was _more _than just a translator in his company… more than a liaison to the world.

She was _his _liaison… _his _translator… the love of his life.

Paige held him undeniably close as she gently tugged on his bottom lip before touching her forehead and nose to his as their warm breaths intermingled in the small space between them. They held each other like that for several minutes; Paige didn't want to overwhelm Walter with too much EQ, and Walter simply wanted to hold onto this moment… savor it… treasure it.

Paige glided her fingers from his hair to his face and lightly tugged him into sweet, intimate kiss, needing assurance that she wasn't dreaming… that it wasn't a fluke or some sort of whim… that everything she was feeling… and experiencing was incredibly real. And when she slowly pulled away from him, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against his and weaved her fingers into his dark curls, softly whispering, "I know you don't believe in it, Walter, but," she kissed the tip of his nose and gently smiled at him, "I think I'm in love with you."

Walter, though still attempting to analyze and understand the possible authenticity of love, was utterly speechless; he knew what love meant to most people, and even though _he _was still trying to figure out the concept of love himself, he was in awe of Paige. She had such strange faith in him… that he would one day… if not today… feel the same way towards her.

She wasn't afraid to love him like most of the people in his life.

But, in his own way, he knew he did love her… He might not necessarily term what he feels for her as "love," but he really couldn't describe how he felt for her… He didn't even know if he actually _could _describe it, but… she made him feel alive… special… human….

There were many nights when he often fell asleep while thinking of her, and his day automatically brightened any time she walked into the garage. He went crazy whenever she wasn't near… whenever he didn't know where she was or if she was okay, and was always relieved whenever she called to let him know she was home… that she was all right… and she _was _okay. He knew she didn't need to call, but she did anyway, and he was always grateful for her kindness. For everything she did, really.

While he _wanted _to tell her… wanted somehow for her to know how he feels even if he couldn't articulate it… even if he couldn't verbalize his feelings; he _needed _her to know.

The silence between them made Paige a little nervous, but she shouldn't expect Walter to have a readied response for her. It was a lot to take in – not something a guy with an IQ of 197 could process in seconds. To ease some of her nervousness, she grazed her fingernails down the side of his face and quietly added, "I don't want you to feel obligated to tell me how you feel, Walter," she gently pecked his lips. "I can wait until you're r—."

Without really thinking it through, Walter, with his palms still firmly holding her cheeks, cut her off with a hard, searing kiss, desperate – in his own way –for her to know everything he was feeling whenever he was around her. Paige, a little dazed, forgot what she was even saying as she shifted slightly and pushed forward, forcing Walter to lean his back against the white, wooden pillar behind him. Her fingers twisted through his hair as she fervently kissed him, and his palms traveled from her cheeks to the base of her neck… to her shoulders… her arms… and finally gripped her waist, pulling her impossibly closer.

"Paige, I…," he struggled with the words, but she didn't need to hear them. The words weren't important to her. She knew, despite everything Walter O'Brien had ever said about the nonexistence of love, that in his own way, he loved her. He always protected her and made her feel safe. Just thinking of him made her toes curl at night, and she knew he would do just about anything for her and for Ralph. She never questioned his devotion towards her and her son; he showed her every day how he loved her even if he wasn't aware of it – the cinnamon in the coffee, the lavender-scented diffuser, the way he smiled at her or watched her when he thought she wasn't looking. He always greeted her in the morning when he hardly ever said a word to anybody else as they walked in. In any way possible, he made her feel like a queen, and he wasn't even trying. He was just… being himself.

"I know, Walter," Paige softly touched her fingertips to his lips and smiled. "I know."

Without another word, Paige removed her fingers from his lips and leaned in to kiss him deeply.

…

They didn't leave the gazebo for many long minutes.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Sometime before the reception ended, Walter and Paige reluctantly left the gazebo and slowly made their way back to the reception hall – in no hurry of rejoining the party any time soon. By the time they strolled to their seats, the reception was winding down; a few people were still dancing, but most of the guests – if they hadn't left yet – were either stuffing their faces with cake or chattering amongst themselves.

Paige's ears perked when her favorite song started playing, but she pretended not to noticed; she knew how much Walter disliked crowds (let alone dancing). Walter, however, noticed Paige's slight pique of interest right away. She probably _thought _she was hiding it, but she continuously gazed at the small crowd of couples; it wasn't hard for Walter to figure out what she wanted.

Though he hated crowds, the people were vastly disappearing, and Walter guessed there were only a few songs left on the DJ's repertoire. He knew how much Paige had wanted to dance tonight, and there was no way he was going to let her dance alone (if that was even a possibility), and he _certainly _didn't want some other man to sweep her off her feet and steal her away from him. _Not _that Paige was his to begin with, but… the thought of Paige with any other man other than him did not sit well with him. Walter, unsure of what he was getting himself into, quietly took Paige's hand and led her to the center of the reception hall.

Paige, with wide eyes, watched him as he tugged her towards the dance floor, and when he instinctively placed his right hand over the small of her back and held her other hand in his, she couldn't help but smile. He, of course, grinned ear to ear, happy to make her happy. Paige then rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes as Charlene Soraia's "Wherever You Will Go" slowly filled the reception hall. She had been tempted to sing along, but all she wanted to focus on was the man holding her in his arms and dancing with her.

Another piece of proof that Walter O'Brien was in love with her.

"Thank you," she whispered for his ears only.

He lightly kissed her temple and mumbled against her skin, "You're welcome."

They danced for what seemed like an eternity, and Paige was happy Walter didn't race off to his chair the moment the first song ended. As the music transitioned into the next slow piece, Walter continued to hold her close, slowly swaying her to the music. He used to have to focus on the beats in order to dance successfully (not that he'd had any other experience other than the night at the gala), but just focusing on Paige… focusing on how her skin felt against his and how close she was… was enough. And eventually, he lost sense of everything but the woman in his arms; the world around him obscured, but he didn't care.

The only world he cared about was right in front of him.

And he was determined never to let her go.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Towards the end of the ceremony, all of the unmarried women were called to the dance floor by the DJ. Walter didn't understand what was going on, but he didn't like it. For all he knew, the DJ would be calling the unmarried men to join the women and find someone to dance with. He would fight anyone who insisted dancing with Paige, and he wasn't afraid to give a nosebleed if warranted.

"Relax, Walter," Paige laughed as she cupped his cheeks, and smooshed his face inward. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Then why is the DJ asking _unmarried _women to go to the dance floor?" Walter was definitely worried, but he tried to dial it down a notch for Paige's sake.

"Because, silly," Paige kissed his nose, "the bride is going to throw her bouquet; it's a tradition."

"Oh…. That's all?" Walter sighed with relief. To think he was worried over something so… trivial….

"Yes," Paige giggled and kissed him quickly. "I'll explain more afterwards," she winked, "definitely don't want to miss an opportunity to catch the bouquet."

Walter, still baffled over the whole tradition, blinked as Paige happily pranced away from their table towards the dance floor. After all of the unmarried women – at least, Walter assumed all of them were unmarried – gathered together, the bride waltzed to the front of the flock of women – Paige was standing towards the back of the crowd – and waved her bouquet in the air. Multiple women screamed as they jumped up and down (Walter would never understand women… let alone most normals (Paige being the exception, of course)), but Paige was calm and collected. She was smiling ear to ear though.

The bride teetered around on her heels and raised her bouquet in the air as every unmarried woman readied themselves to catch the arrangement of flowers. Paige, however, stood with incredible poise, patiently waiting for the bride to toss the bouquet. Walter calculated the height and weight of the bride, analyzed the length of her arms, the weight of the flowers and determined the bouquet's approximate path of trajectory before the bride even tossed it, and, as he perfectly predicted, the flowers landed in Paige's hands. Her eyes were wide with surprise (though shouldn't have been too surprised given the fact that she was standing amongst the other women in the first place), and she immediately found Walter's baffled gaze. Many women congratulated her (for catching a bouquet?) as she made her way back to the table. She carefully sat down next to Walter as many women gave him an approving look (something else he really wasn't sure about).

Paige placed the bouquet on top of the table and kissed his cheek as she giggled at his puzzled expression. Walter scratched the side of his face as Paige wrapped her arms around his middle and leaned her cheek against his torso.

"So," Walter nervously chuckled, "what was the point of catching the bouquet? What purpose does it, um," he paused as three women winked at him (another gesture he didn't understand) and then quickly returned his attention to Paige, "does it serve?"

"Oh, you know how the saying goes," Paige happily laughed as she smiled amusedly at him, but before she could finish her answer, the bride poked her head between Walter and Paige and laughed in her drunken stupor, "So _this _is the lucky guy, huh?!"

The bride winked at Walter (he still had no clue why women kept doing that) and hugged Paige. "I'm so glad you found someone else, Paige; you certainly deserve it after what that D-Bag did to you when he abandoned you and your son all those years ago."

Paige bashfully smiled at Walter as she linked her fingers with his, and said to her friend, "Thanks Theresa. I'm happy I found someone else, too."

"Well," Theresa sent Walter another wink (like seriously, what's with that?!) as she gave Paige another side-hug, "I gotta talk to other people and thank them for coming so you, darling, keep in touch. I hope to see a save-the-date and an invitation in the mail soon! Ciao!"

Once Theresa was out of earshot, Walter leaned close to Paige and lifted an eyebrow. "Okay, what's going on? Five women in five minutes winked at me, and several more were giving me quick onceovers. And why did your friend mention something about save-the-dates and invitations? What's she talking about?"

Paige laughed and hooked her arms around his neck as she pulled herself into his lap, still smiling ear to ear. "If I tell you," she whispered into his ear, "I'd have to kill you."

Walter cocked a brow. "I don't understand…."

"You don't have to," Paige muttered softly before weaving her fingers into his curly hair and kissing him hard on the mouth.

Maybe one day she'll tell him what all of this means, but for now… just for now… she wanted his mind solely focused on her… and on the present….

…

They could shape their future tomorrow.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! I'm sorry this took so long to update! Real life got in the way, and this chapter ended up longer than expected. I hoped you enjoyed _The Invitation _all the same! :)

Let me know what you think! :D


	36. Sleep

**WriterFreak001: **

I came up with this idea early, early this morning (like 3 AM) and wanted to type it out when I had more brainpower. It's most likely going to be short, but it'll certainly be _very _sweet.

* * *

**Title** | Sleep

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Not a request. I don't want to spoil this story so you'll just have to read on to find out. :)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Sleep**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Paige did _not _sleep at all last night.

For the first time in her life, she had spent the night in her quiet condo without her son sleeping in his bedroom, and the thought that Ralph was thousands of miles away, sleeping in a different bed, interacting (_possibly_ interacting) with other people and being surrounded by a totally different environment did not sit well with the young mother. She trusted Drew, and she knew her ex-boyfriend wouldn't let anything happen to Ralph, but she couldn't help being sickened with worry. Ralph was her baby boy – the pride and joy of her life, and he wasn't home where she could protect him.

She knew how important it was for her son to spend some time with his dad, but she just didn't like not being able to say goodnight to her son and kiss his forehead before he falls asleep at night. Sure, she planned to talk to him over Skype a few times over the next few days, but it just wasn't the same.

Being _home _wasn't the same.

Paige had spent an entire night worrying about her son; he had only called once to tell her his flight landed safely and that Drew had picked him up, but she hadn't heard anything from him since then. She couldn't count how many times she wanted to grab her phone and call him, but she had to remind herself that Ralph was spending time with Drew. Incessantly calling her son would not only deprive Ralph from time with his father but also could send Drew the wrong message, making him think she didn't trust him with her son.

She did.

She had to…

If she wasn't thinking about Ralph, her thoughts would shift to Walter. For weeks, she had mentally slapped herself for kissing him while he was unconscious at the hospital, and she knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with that genius until she confronted him with the truth. He had the right to know… No matter how embarrassing it would feel to tell him…, Walter deserved to know.

But that was a battle she had to deal with another day.

Today, she had to focus on _not _falling asleep at work (not that there was much to do, really) and _not _drooling all over her paperwork. While mostly everything the team had done this past year had been properly filed, Paige was in the process of cataloguing everything into her computer upon Walter's request (according to Cabe, anyway). Somehow she highly doubted Walter would provide her with such a task, but she, if anything, was grateful for the distraction. She needed to busy herself throughout the days while the team was on break or else she would go absolutely crazy. Luckily she didn't have to return to her old waitressing job to pay for her bills; since she was helping Walter out by keeping the garage intact and making sure it's presentable if, at all, Scorpion received any private clients (which happened very seldom), Walter was able to keep her on payroll.

She wondered how he was able to pay her since Homeland wasn't funding them anymore, but she decided not to question it; she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

The day had dragged on with little excitement. Paige continued filing various reports into the computer with small breaks every now and then, but no one came in for any reason. Halfway through the day, she played some tunes to keep her from drifting to sleep, hoping the music would make the garage seem less… quiet, and almost every three hours, she popped into the kitchen to pour herself a much needed cup of coffee. Usually, only half of her days were boring; when she would bring Ralph to the garage after school, she'd at least had someone to talk to (when he felt like talking).

Happy hardly came to the garage; she only came if she needed to pick up any tools, but she barely stayed too long for any lengthy conversation. Sometimes she would ask Ralph a question or engage him in a project just to keep him busy when he was done with his homework, but she hardly interacted with Paige. Paige guessed Happy was still peeved at her for hurting Walter (she couldn't blame her, though. Paige often blamed herself, too.)

Toby hardly came to the garage, too. When he did, it was way before Paige ever arrived, and if she happened to be lucky to spot him, he'd smile, sometimes offer her some coffee and then leave, claiming he had clients to see. He, once, stayed for a few hours just to see how she was doing, and Paige really appreciated his concern. He was a great friend, and though annoying sometimes, Toby often meant well. He even tried – though unsuccessfully – to get her to confess her feelings for Walter to him, but she was smart enough to weave around his mind games for the most part. _If _he had picked up anything at all from her about Walter, he never said anything about it, and she suspected he wouldn't. At least, not until she and Walter figure things out (if there was anything to figure out in the first place).

Sylvester – sweet, kind and gentle Sylvester – often dropped by the garage. There wasn't much for him to do during the day other than go to see Megan and collect odd Super Fun Guy toys so Paige was grateful any chance he could stop and talk. He often did most of the talking and interacted with Ralph a lot. He was such a lifesaver; whenever she was stressed out with all of this paperwork transition she was working on, Sylvester would take Ralph out of the garage to let her concentrate. He also often asked her how she was doing and asked if she knew anything about Walter's progress.

When she _did _know something, she told him… She told everyone because she was sure they, in their own way, worried about Walter and wanted him to have a solid recovery. Not all of them might voice it, but she knew they cared.

Cabe was the only one she saw more frequently than the others. When he wasn't working as a tech advisor or visiting Walter, he would either drop by her condo and help out with Ralph or stop by the garage and just talk. She thoroughly enjoyed talking to Cabe; he gave her constant updates on Walter, and she was entirely grateful for Cabe being her personal little errand boy whenever she wanted to send something over to Walter.

Once, she sent cupcakes, and, from what Cabe had said, Walter really enjoyed them (though she doubted he would ever mention it), and a few other times, she had Cabe bring Walter some home-cooked meals. She was sure the genius was tired of eating hospital food every day so she wanted to make sure he not only eating healthy choices every now and then but also eating food he actually liked. Whenever Cabe _did _come back with something from Walter, it was usually riddles for Ralph or pieces of advice for running Scorpion in his absence.

To any other woman, they might see those tiny "gifts" as insulting or insensitive, but Paige knew better.

She knew Walter.

He often did strange things to show he cared, and she truly believed him giving Ralph riddles and issuing her advice was his own way of caring for Paige and her son. Having her manage the business side of Scorpion, in Paige's mind, was Walter's way of saying he trusted her with his company – with something he had worked so hard to preserve and protect.

And to Paige, that was the sweetest thing Walter could ever do for her.

By the end of the day, Paige was ready to call it quits. Her eyes hurt (no thanks to her lack of sleep), her back was slightly painful from sitting in her computer chair most of the day and a shoulder massage was desperately needed in her future. As she started packing up her things, she hesitated, not really feeling like going home to a lonely home…. She knew she wouldn't get much sleep anyway – she was still super worried about her son; even if she tried to sleep in her own bed like last night, she'd be coming back to work tomorrow with twice the size headache she had today. Paige bit her lip as she glanced up the stairs… There _was _a bed already here…. And a few couches…. Even though she'd be alone, she wouldn't feel like it. The loft was very… Walter…, and if she couldn't see the very man in the hospital, then she'd at least be able to feel his presence….

Paige, too tired to really think about anything, dropped her things and slowly floated up the stairs. She slipped into the loft and dragged her feet towards the couch. For minutes, she just laid there… staring at the ceiling… and _not _falling asleep. The couch was horrible on her already painful back. Not wanting to have to pay to see a chiropractor, Paige pushed herself off of the sofa and sauntered into Walter's bedroom. Normally, she wouldn't dare enter his room unless he was there (and during the day), but she was so damn tired, she didn't really care anymore. She just needed some sleep. A few hours would be lovely if she couldn't get a full night's rest.

And she knew… if Walter _was _there, he wouldn't let her drive home as tired as she was. He'd practically _force _her to stay and use his bed. He did it once before, and she wouldn't put it past him if he did it again. He was just… sweet like that.

She slipped underneath the comforter and snuggled against Walter's pillow. She could smell him all around her, and just being so close to him… to the essence of him… made her toes curl as she closed her eyes and hugged the pillow. She wasn't sure why, but just being in his room made her feel safe… and she knew, if Walter was there, he'd give her a handful of statistics to assure her that Ralph was okay. To tell her that she didn't have to worry about her baby boy because he was coming back in a few days and will be happy to be home again. She imagined Walter holding her close to him… just soothing her by whispering in her ear, telling her strange things that only he would know... telling her _anything_, really, just so he could help her fall asleep.

He'd stay awake all night if he had to.

She was sure of it.

And as her heavy eyelids claimed power over her eyes, she kissed his pillow, mumbled a soft good night and inhaled a slow breath before eventually drifting off to what would be deemed as the most pleasant sleep she'd had in many years.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

I hoped you liked this short one-shot. Let me know what you think.


	37. Finding Happiness

**WriterFreak001: **

As I wrote this, didn't expect it to get so steamy for such an innocent request, but I… I couldn't help myself. XD

PS. I accidentally deleted all of my messages on my a-beautiful-mind-wf001 TUMBLR blog so if you sent me any WAIGE Chronicles Requests or What If Waige requests, I LOST ALL OF THEM! ;~; PLEASE resend them if you remember what they are. If you don't, feel free to send new ones!

* * *

**Title** | Finding Happiness

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | requested by anonymous on Tumblr: "I would love a fanfic where Ralph is the one who ultimately brings Waige together. "

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Finding Happiness**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Hey, Mom?"

"What is it, baby?" Paige, putting a pause on Scorpion's paperwork, plopped her pencil down on her desk and turned to her son who was standing to her right.

The boy blinked. "Do you like Walter?"

Paige, completely startled by her son's strange question, immediately scanned the garage in the off chance that Walter was either on his way downstairs or somewhere nearby, but she was incredibly grateful (and super relieved) to find that she and her son were alone. "What... Why do you ask, sweetie?"

Ralph shrugged. "You two smile at each other a lot, and you look at Walter differently than anybody else, and he looks at you like he looks at the stars in the night sky - or so, I've noticed."

Paige could feel her cheeks burning as her son simply stared at her, waiting patiently for her response. "You notice a lot, don't you."

Ralph shrugged again. "Your relationship with Walter, whatever it is, fascinates me." The boy looked at his shoelaces and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"And why does it fascinate you, honey?"

Ralph was quiet for a minute. "It just does."

Paige smiled and pulled her son in for a quick hug and a kiss before saying, "The answer to your question, Ralph, is yes. I do like Walter a lot. A lot, a lot."

"Do you love him?" Ralph's question slipped from his lips before he could stop himself.

Paige, whose mind screamed for her to ignore her son and change the subject, opened her mouth to say 'no,' but her lips betrayed her. "Yes, honey. I do."

Ralph grinned. "Enough for him to be my new dad?"

Paige's eyes nearly popped out of her skull, but her initial reaction did not stop her toes from curling or her skin from tingling. "It...," Paige gently gripped her son's cheeks and softly laughed, "Honey, it doesn't work like that."

"I think he should be my new dad."

"Ralph...," Paige paused for a moment and inwardly smiled at the thought of - no. She couldn't think like that. They strictly decided _not _to go down that road together. "Sweetie, Walter and I... We're just friends. Between you and me, as much as it pains me to say this, honey, it'll never come to that."

Ralph frowned. "Oh."

"But," Paige poked her son's nose and kissed his forehead, "Walter and I don't have to be... together... for him to be your _new _dad. You already see him like a dad, yes?"

"More or less," Ralph nodded slowly.

"Then...," the lightly tapped her son's chest, "what you feel here about your strong friendship and connection with Walter is real, baby. That's all that matters. He doesn't have to be... _we _don't have to be... for him to see you as a son or for you to see him as a father. Understand?"

"Yes," Ralph, still a little bummed, faked a little smile and then looked towards the loft. "I'm going to talk to Walter now."

"Okay, sweetie. He's up in the loft, I think."

"I know. Perhaps I can help him with Cabe Junior." Ralph beamed as he started for the stairs.

"You do that," Paige laughed, "I'll be down here finishing up the paperwork. Have fun!"

Ralph, who was almost halfway up the stairs, stopped and turned towards his mother. "Mom?"

"Hm?" Paige dropped her pencil again and smiled at her son. "What is it, sweetie?"

"You know...," he raced down the stairs and pointed to her heart, "the feelings you feel in there are real to you, too, Mom."

Paige's eyes widened a fraction before a sad smile stained her lips. "I know."

"Then that's all that matters," Ralph shrugged as he looked at the abandoned pencil on his mom's desk. "Everything else pales in comparison."

"If only it were that easy," was the only thing the mother said as she took Ralph's hands in hers and kissed his small fingers. "I need you to understand something, Ralph. My relationship with Walter is... special. It'll always be different, but... because of certain personal reasons between me and Walter, we've decided it would be best if we stay friends. My feelings for Walter may never change, but being anything more with Walter," Paige blinked back her tears and forced a smile, "is just not something that's going to happen."

"Mom?" Ralph pursed his lips and blinked.

"Yes?"

"What's the point of saving lives if the ones saving them can't be happy?"

Paige's face fell as a tear slid down her cheek. She quietly laughed at herself. "That's a good question, baby." She pulled him in for a hug and kissed his hair. "That's a _really _good question."

**~ SCORPION ~**

Ralph eventually went upstairs and found Walter, as he expected, working with Cabe Junior but with little success. Walter poked and prodded the mouse, begging him to move in _any _direction, but all Cabe Junior wanted to do was chew through Walter's wires and gnaw at the genius's fingers.

"Hi, Walter." Ralph grinned as he marched up to Walter with his hands shoved in his pockets, hoping to do anything he could to help his friend.

"Heyyy, buddy," Walter stopped everything he was doing and extended his palm for a high five. Ralph gladly gave one to him. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just got done downstairs with my homework." Ralph beamed as he eagerly looked at the super genius. "Everyone's gone, though. Except for Mom, of course. She's still busily working on the paperwork for today's case."

"She's still working down there?"

"Yeah. I think she's almost done though... or about to call quits for the night." Ralph shrugged, deciding to change the subject. "She seems distracted, if you ask me."

"Distracted?" Walter took a second to look towards his door, wondering if he should go down there to check on her. "Distracted, how?"

"Not sure." Ralph did another shrug. "She gets spacey sometimes. She stares at your desk a lot whenever you're not there..."

"She d-does?" Walter scratched the side of his face.

Ralph nodded. "Between you and me," Ralph shuffled his feet and stared at the ground, "I think she likes you, Walter."

"You do?" Walter suddenly felt like a thousand degrees. His face flushed.

Ralph nodded again and asked, "What about you, Walter? Do you like my mom?"

Walter pursed his lips and gulped, completely unprepared for the boy's inquiry. "W-what makes you ask that?" Walter leaned to rest his hand on the counter but completely missed, almost falling over. He quickly straightened himself, nervously laughing as he waited for the boy to speak.

Ralph blinked. "The way you look at her when she's not looking is similar to the way you study the stars; complete and utter fascination. You also make cinnamon coffee for her every morning, and I remember you once saying you weren't a big fan of cinnamon. You also give her a portion of your salary when you write the checks. Everyone should have an equal amount of pay, but Mom gets paid the most, and you get paid the least. You also listen to her a lot when you choose not to listen to anybody else."

Walter, completely awed by everything the boy had observed, instantly looked around the loft uncomfortably and shifted his feet, hoping Paige couldn't hear anything. He scratched his head. "Your mom... your mom doesn't know about the little bonus I give her after each check, does she?"

"I don't think so," Ralph shrugged with wide eyes. "If she does, she hasn't brought it up, yet, and I'm sure, if the others know, they'd complain."

"So you haven't said a word to her about it?"

Ralph shook her head. "No."

Walter sank with relief. He needed to be more careful with the things he does for Paige in the future.

"So," Ralph suddenly climbed up on a stool and leaned forward on the counter, "Do you like my mom, Walter?"

Walter cleared his throat and mindlessly loosened his tie. Perhaps if he told the boy the truth, Ralph would drop the subject. "Yyyessss." Walter mumbled slowly as he picked up his coffee and covered his face to hide his embarrassment. "I do like her... a lot."

"As in like-like her or just like her?"

Walter cocked a brow as he took a swig of his coffee. "What's the difference?"

Ralph shrugged. "Don't know. That's what I hear some of the kids at school ask other kids about who they like or don't like." He rephrased his question. "Do you... love my mom?"

Walter, who was drinking another sip of his coffee, nearly choked as his drink almost spilled out of his mouth. He grabbed a napkin and quickly wiped his face, inwardly cursing at the coffee stain on his shirt. "L-love? N-No such thing exists."

Walter pushed himself away from the counter, and Ralph immediately followed the genius into his room. Ralph waited until Walter was finished changing shirts to speak.

"Mom loves you," was all Ralph said.

Walter suddenly stopped buttoning his shirt and glanced at the boy. "I... I know she has feelings for me."

"And you have feelings for her?"

Walter silently and slowly nodded, unsure where this conversation was going.

"So you must agree, to some level, that love exists since you've developed feelings for my mom..." Ralph sat down on Walter's bed and kicked the air.

Walter froze. The boy had him there. "Okay... so... maybe I _am _starting to acknowledge that some aspects of love are... potentially real."

"So then, you love my mom." Ralph deduced, and Walter, unable to walk out of the trap, sighed with a quiet laugh.

"You never give up, do you." Walter gave the boy a small smile.

Ralph only shrugged. "Just gathering the facts."

Walter sat down on the bed next to Ralph and touched the boy's shoulder. "Listen... Yes. I do. I do... _love_... your mother. I think I have for a while now..., and I suspected the feelings were mutual on her end too. Maybe one day, things could be different for your mother and me, but for now, we've decided staying friends is what's best for Scorpion... and for you."

"You two think a relationship between the two of you could jeopardize your bond with me if you and my mother were ever to part ways," Ralph spoke quietly, understanding Walter and his mother's predicament a bit better.

"Yeah."

"But what if," Ralph stared at the floor, "what if you staying friends isn't what I want?"

Walter's eyes widened. "Do you... _want _us to be together?"

"I want you two to be happy," Ralph finally looked at Walter and gave him a sympathetic smile. "I see the way you are around Mom, and Mom's never been happier around you, either. You two are happy when you're working together, but whenever Mom is home, she's really unhappy; she sometimes cries at night, too. I think... I think you can fix that, Walter. And if you help my mom, then maybe the two of you can be even happier together."

Walter was completely taken back by everything Ralph had said, but more importantly, Walter didn't like the fact that Paige had been emotionally distraught after their supposedly mutual decision to stay friends. "You're a pretty smart kid, Ralph." Ralph silently shrugged as he laid down on Walter's bed and yawned. Walter patted the boy's head and quietly told him to get some rest. Ralph didn't protest as Walter pulled his shoes off of his small feet and covered him with a blanket. "Goodnight," he whispered and gently ruffled Ralph's hair before carefully walking away from the bed. Sneaking back towards the counter, he quickly finished his lukewarm coffee and gazed at the stairs.

And before he knew it, he was racing down to the steps, eager to talk to Paige.

Paige almost immediately stood up as Walter practically ran up to her; she braced herself for anything, unsure of what was swirling through that genius's mind, but she never, not in a million dreams, expected him grabbing her cheeks and kissing her hard on the mouth.

She almost instantly melted against him as her arms strung around his neck to pull him closer to her. They were almost in the exact same spot they had kissed before, but Walter was determined not to stop this time. He found his hands gliding down to the small of her back as he slightly towered over her, and her fingers threaded through his curly locks. Her lips passionately moved with his as they clumsily waltzed over to the couch. Walter, with a firm hand pressed against her back, tipped them over until he was hovering over her on the sofa.

His mouth trailed from her lips to her neck down to her collarbone as she mindlessly wrapped her legs around his hips and clawed at his back. Good _God_, they so needed this... Wanted this... Desired this...

And when his mouth returned to hers, her tongue found his and sparked something inside the genius, and his need for her increased exponentially. Paige, as if she sensed this sudden change in Walter, moaned into mouth as he rolled his hips against hers and felt incredibly spontaneous. She gripped his tie and firmly held it to keep Walter from breaking the kiss. She kissed him harder than he ever imagined, sending crazy, enjoyable jolts of electricity throughout his body.

She surprised him the second she peeled off her shirt after practically ripping off his undershirt the moment she was able to shred off his button-up. For some reason, she kept the tie wrapped around his neck, but his head was spinning too much to care. Paige then unhooked her bra, daringly slid it off her arms before bringing Walter's palms to her breasts, physically showing him what she wanted as he continued to kiss her.

More moans and hisses escaped Paige's lips as her desire for him increased. God, she needed him. She grabbed his hand and continued making out with Walter as she slowly slid his palm underneath her jeans and her underwear, and they both shuddered as he touched her.

Suddenly, the door to Walter's loft creaked, and they froze, both thinking the exact same thing: _Ralph! _

In seconds, Walter was off of Paige, trying to find his shirts as Paige and her fluttery heart, picked up her bra, fastened it over her chests and slid into her shirt the second her son called for her. "W-what is it, honey?!" She called up to him.

"I'm thirsty," his quiet voice grumbled back. "I can't find a clean cup up here."

"C-coming!" Paige stammered as she glanced at Walter who was now fully dressed and insanely blushed. "Oh God, I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over m-"

Walter cut her off with a quick, sloppy kiss and mumbled, "Don't be sorry."

His words did crazy things inside her, and if it weren't for the reminder that her son was upstairs, she would have jumped him. She bit her lip and slowly started walking backwards towards the kitchen. "R-Raincheck?"

Walter smiled. "Can't wait."

Walter's response made her weak in the knees, making her almost lose her balance. "I-I'll get Ralph that glass of water, and then, you can have your bed back... We'll, uh, we'll go home since it's getting, uh, getting pretty late."

Walter suddenly frowned and walked up to her, instinctively grabbing her hand and pulling her back into him. "Stay."

It wasn't a question.

His eyes softened. "Please?"

Paige's heartbeat flooded her ears as her cheeks reddened even more. "O-Okay. We can stay."

Walter smiled softly before kissing her gently - a beautiful thing she still wasn't used to (and perhaps, she didn't want to be).

"O-One question, though." Paige cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her hair after filling up a glass of water for Ralph. She walked back up to Walter and blinked. "W-what changed your mind about, you know, about us?"

Walter's palms found her face as she stared into her eyes. He leaned in unbearably close and whispered, "I wanted to be happy again," before pulling her into another hot, sizzling kiss. She almost didn't make it back up the stairs to give Ralph his water.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **WOW! This turned out to be much more romantic than I thought it would be... .


	38. Robot, My Ass!

**WriterFreak001: **

Just a little ficlet. :3

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**Title** | Robot, My Ass

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Just read. It's cute. I swear!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Robot, My Ass**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Walter…," Paige muttered quietly as that idiotic genius – _her _idiotic genius – popped out of the oxygen tank the moment Happy started climbing up the side of the boat. He was alive. Thank God, he was alive. Thank God, they were _all _alive. Paige couldn't describe the level of relief and happiness swirling inside of her, but it made her want to do crazy things to that idiotic genius, but the moment she spotted him as he stepped onto the boat, she could barely move.

And then she found herself running towards him. Faster and faster and faster until her arms were firmly wrapped around him, holding him incredibly close to her. Her chin hugged his shoulder as she embraced him, and though Walter, at first, was shocked from how she was holding him, slid his arms around her back and held her, too.

"I thought you had died," she muttered close to his ear as she pulled him impossibly closer.

"I didn't," was all he whispered back, wanting his entire mind to focus only on her. He thought he would never see her again…, but here she was, in his arms, intimately holding him close to her…. He wasn't planning on letting her out of his sight anytime soon.

Seconds, many, many seconds, passed before they slowly moved away from one another. Walter, unexpectedly dragged away by Toby and Cabe, never stopped looking at Paige, and she never stopped looking at him. Cabe gave Walter a side hug as Toby slapped a towel around the man before giving him a high-five. Sylvester ran up to Walter, too, and gave him a bear hug, much like the one he gave the genius after returning home from the hospital several weeks ago. Deputy Director Cooper also shook his hand and commended him for a job well done.

Paige smiled at Walter as others thanked him, and when he was alone again, she strolled up to him, grabbed his hand and pulled him away from everybody. When they were standing on the bow of the boat while everyone else was at the stern, she stopped walking and muttered, "I know we agreed to be… professional colleagues," she bit her lip and lightly squeezed his hand as she glanced at his lips before meeting his brown eyes, "but… due to extenuating circumstances, just this once," she stepped closer to him as her arms slowly latched around his neck, "I think _this _will be okay." And before Walter could respond, Paige grabbed his cheeks and yanked his face down for a hard, wet kiss.

Walter, though utterly surprised, was quick to comply and melted his mouth against hers as his hands found her waist and pulled her impossibly closer to him. Paige's fingers weaved through his curly hair, holding him in a way where he couldn't pull away from her even if he wanted. He towered slightly over her and hungrily kissed her as her mouth and tongue sought refuge with his.

When Paige finally did pull away, she leaned her forehead against his, closed her eyes and whispered, "Even though we… can't be together," her eyes fluttered open and gazed into his, "I'm still not done with you, Walter O'Brien." She embraced him warmly and kissed his neck, "So don't you dare die on me."

And though Walter couldn't actually make that promise, he kept his thoughts to himself and lightly pressed his lips against the top of her head and mumbled, "I won't."

**~ SCORPION ~**

Ensign Nathan Hall looked for Walter to thank him for his contribution towards saving his crew, but he couldn't find him amongst the crowd of happy people hugging and embracing each other. He thought to check the cabin of the ship, but after a quick peek, he determined no one was in there. Just before he closed the door, he spotted two figures through the cabin's window. He smiled and chuckled as he slowly closed the door. "Robot, my ass."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Hoped you liked it! Let me know what you think! :)


	39. The Other Side of the Coin

**WriterFreak001: **

I came up with this idea after watching 2x05 and wanted to write it for you guys. :)

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**Title** | The Other Side of the Coin

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Just a short follow-up from last Monday's episode. :)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**The Other Side of the Coin**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"_I guess… with great responsibility comes great… loneliness…." _

Walter should have expected as much; he knew any sort of relationship with Paige, other than the one they currently have, was too good to be true. If even Superman – as ridiculous as it seemed – couldn't successfully maintain a relationship with Lois Lane, then any fantasy Walter had of being with Paige _someday _was only wishful thinking.

It couldn't happen.

It _shouldn't _happen.

It… It wouldn't happen.

As much as he desperately wanted to be more than friends with Paige Dineen, it was supposedly destined to fail. Just like Clark and Lois.

…

For minutes, he just sat there at his workbench and contemplated Sylvester's words. All morning, Walter had repeatedly explained to Paige why he wouldn't dare compare himself to a superhero, but the longer he wore the Super Fun Guy suit, the more he somewhat felt like one. Sure, he didn't have superhuman strength or X-Ray vision, but he _was_ superior to most human beings, and he _did _use his intellect to help those in need. And then, after returning home, Paige compared him to Clark Kent – the paramount of superheroes (just as he was, or _considered _himself to be, the paramount of all geniuses). Walter really wasn't sure if he was anything like Superman (no, he was _actually _sure he wasn't anything like Superman), but he understood Paige's metaphor and appreciated her for complimenting him on his improving EQ.

But something struck him odd the more he thought about Paige's side of the conversation. She could have compared herself to _any _character in the superhero universe, but she chose Lois Lane – Superman's love interest. Surely it wasn't coincidental. It couldn't have been. He knew where Paige's feelings resided, and she knew his, and though they decided remaining professional colleagues was what's best for Scorpion (and possibly Ralph), Walter wondered if they had initially made the right decision.

Perhaps Walter and Paige could make things work unlike Clark and Lois. It was plausible. After all, the stories of Clark and Lois were fiction – solely based on the opinions of the creators. There was no one drawing Walter and Paige into a comic book and telling them how they could or couldn't act so why couldn't they be different? Walter could do amazing things, and Paige was capable of amazing things as well.

Why couldn't they do amazing things together?

"Hey, Wally!"

Walter blinked away from the wall and found his new friend, Ray, standing in front of him with a role of duct tape hanging on his wrist. Walter lifted his eyebrows and silently acknowledged the strange, oh so very strange, man.

"I, uh, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Paige, and I also couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Sylvester afterwards." Ray shoved his hands into his pockets and shifted his feet. "I was wondering if you'd like to hear my take."

Shrugging, Walter forced a smile. "Sure, buddy."

Ray stared at the floor and kicked at nothing as he spoke. "There are two sides to a coin Wally. If you don't like one side, flip it over so you only see the other side."

Walter blinked as he forced a grin, "A coin has nothing to do with any of this."

"Look at it this way," Ray gave Walter a small smile, "What Sylvester said isn't wrong, but it isn't the only correct answer. Yes, Clark and Lois, in _some _stories, didn't work out, but, that's the thing, Wally. There are _other _stories. Catch my drift?"

Walter sat still for a few seconds as he mulled over Ray's thoughts. "I think…."

"Wally," Ray splayed his hands on the table and leaned towards Walter, "don't let a fictional story define you or your decisions. You have to make your own story with the side of the coin you _want _always facing up. It's the only way to live, Wally. It's the only way you're going to truly happy."

Walter pondered Ray's words as his friend slowly walked away from him. He used to base his life on facts and probabilities. If the odds were in his favor, he would make the risk; if they weren't, he would back away and form a new plan. Now, however, he banked most of his decisions on untested theories; it's something new and different, but this new way of decision-making also bred positive results.

Basing results on pure facts used to be the _only _way for Walter to live, but it wasn't anymore. He was beginning to see that more and more each day. Probabilities – flipping a coin – used to guide Walter, but now he was mostly going by a gut feeling or an instinct instead. His decisions were becoming more impulsive rather than calculated, and he was starting to live his life based on what _felt _right instead of what _was _right.

In Ray's own strange way, he had told Walter to flip the coin over himself. To take control of his decisions and do what _he _wanted to do.

Walter abruptly rose to his feet and scooted his chair back before racing out of the garage, shouting, "Thank you, Ray!"

**~ SCORPION ~**

Paige stepped out of the elevator and immediately stopped dead in her tracks. "W-Walter?"

The genius, who was sitting on the floor in front of the woman's apartment door with his knees drawn towards his chest, turned to look her and smiled. "Hey."

"What're you doing here?" She cocked a brow as she slowly approached him.

He pushed himself to his feet and glanced around her. "Where's Ralph?"

"I just dropped him off at Billy's. He's spending the night there." Paige folded her arms and leaned against the wall as she stared at him suspiciously. "You still haven't answered my question."

"I needed to talk to you." Walter shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the floor. "And it couldn't wait."

"Okay," Paige blinked with a hint of concern as she walked around him to unlock her apartment door. She led him inside, and the moment she closed her door, Walter's palms were on her face, pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss. Paige, totally not expecting her boss to kiss her, found herself melting against him and welcoming anything he was willing to offer. Her fingers weaved through his thick, dark curls, and her mouth moaned against his as his hands dropped from her cheeks to her waist, pulling herself impossibly closer to him. And when he finally _did _pull away, he leaned his forehead against hers and breathed in the air swirling within the small space between them. Her brown eyes found his. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to flip my coin," he muttered as he kissed her forehead.

"That doesn't make sense," Paige lightly chuckled as her fingers continued slowly twisting through his hair.

"It doesn't have to," Walter said quickly before pulling her into another deep kiss. His mouth swiftly moved with hers as he leaned into her with his palms now firmly latched around her hips. Paige's back was pressing hard against the door with Walter pinning himself to her, but she didn't care.

She _wanted _this….

She wanted all of it.

Finally, her dreams and her fantasies were coming true.

And as he continued senselessly kissing her mouth, she couldn't help but mumble, "Bedroom," against his lips, wanting only a naked Walter between her body and her bedsheets.

She didn't have to say the word twice.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter stared at the ceiling as Paige slept peacefully on top of him. Their hands were curled together (as they were for most of the night), and her cheek was resting on his shoulder with the tip of her nose touching his neck. He never thought sex could be anything more than… well… sex, but Paige, as per usual, proved him wrong. And he hoped she would continue to prove him wrong again and again because last night, God, last night, was far from being the last time they sleep together. He wanted to be with her every night if he could help it.

He knew things were going to be different between them from now on, but he was determined to make things work with Paige. He _wanted _things to work with Paige, and he wasn't going to deny his happiness any longer. And he certainly didn't want Paige to be unhappy either.

"Hey," Paige smiled, causing him to turn slightly towards her and find her sweetly watching him.

"Hi." Walter grinned.

She had her fingers lazily curling through his hair as she pulled him down for a slow, languorous kiss. "Does this," she gestured below, "make you happy, Walter?"

"Yes," Walter didn't have to think twice about it. "Only because it makes you happier," he whispered as he hovered over her and kissed her deeply.

"You have _no_ idea."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

And there it is! Let me know what you think.


	40. Window of Opportunity

**WriterFreak001: **

This fic was a lot longer than I intended, but I enjoyed writing it. :) I hope the anon who requested it enjoys reading it! :D

* * *

**Title** | Window of Opportunity

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "What if Paige and Ray have a heart-to-heart about Walter, as Ray seems to see Walter in a somewhat different light than the rest of the team?" (Requested by anonymous on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Window of Opportunity**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Walter?" Paige, with fingers fidgeting with the bottom of her blouse, leaned against the super genius's desk and smiled as he looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"Have a minute?"

"Always," Walter grinned as he folded his hands together and rested his chin on top of his knuckles. "What's up?"

"I'm planning on taking Ralph to the newest exhibit at the science museum next Saturd-"

"You want the day off to spend time with Ralph." Walter nodded quickly and smiled. "Done."

"Thanks," Paige laughed as she started drawing imaginary circles along the top of his desk, "but that's not what I wanted to ask."

"Oh." Walter cocked an eyebrow and studied her for a moment as she nervously combed her fingers through her hair. "Then what did you want to ask?"

"Well," Paige twisted a strand of hair along her finger, "I, uh, I was wondering if you'd like to join us. R-Ralph said he'd enjoy it more if you were there, and," she bit her lip, "_I _would also enjoy it more if you were there, too."

Walter rose to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets as his grin grew ear to ear. "I'd like that."

"Great!" Paige exclaimed a little too loudly. "Ralph's going to be so excited; I can't wait to tell him." Out of pure gratitude, Paige stepped up on her toes and quickly kissed the genius's cheek. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear before stepping away from him and making her way towards the kitchen.

Walter didn't move for three minutes.

**~ SCORPION ~**

As Paige busied herself making dinner for everyone, Ray waltzed right into the kitchen and sat down at the table as though he was waiting for dinner to be served. "Supper's not ready," Paige said without looking at him. "It won't be for another hour or so."

"Say," Ray cracked his knuckles, "what's up with you and Wally?"

Paige almost dropped the dish she was cleaning. She snapped her head towards him. "Excuse me?"

"You and Wally. You two dating?"

"N-No." Paige shook her head and returned her attention to the dish. "We're not."

"But you like him." Ray said with a pointed look. "And I know he likes you, Patty. So…" he leaned backwards and propped his feet onto the table, "if you're not dating, what's going on, then?"

Paige walked over to Ray and slapped his feet down from the table. "Nothing's going on between us. We're just friends. Co-workers. Colleagues. Our relationship is… complicated."

"Doesn't seem that complicated to me," Ray shrugged with a smile.

"Well," Paige didn't really want to talk about her love life to Walter's strange new friend. "It is."

"It doesn't have to be," Ray, again, shrugged. He propped his feet back up on the table, daring Paige to try and stop him. "I know you and I are just getting to know each other, Patty, but I've been around Wally enough to know he has the hots for you."

Paige's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, she was intrigued and sat down across from him. "How do you know?"

"It's all in the eyes," Ray smiled proudly. "I see the way he looks at that not so happy girl over there," he pointed towards Happy, "and I see the way he looks at you, and let me tell ya Patty, Wally would do anything for you."

Paige laughed and rolled her eyes. "Nonsense, Ray. Walter, as sweet as he is, only does what's best for the team… what's best for Scorpion."

"What's best for Scorpion wasn't what was on his mind when he accepted your invitation an hour ago; I can assure you of that." Ray chuckled, also rolling his eyes. "I know everybody here doesn't think very highly of me, and that's okay. Everybody loves Raymond eventually."

"Ray…"

"I'm not done," he held up his hand. "Look, I know Wally's not a normal guy. I know he's a special kind of smart… the saving the world kind…, but I also know he's smitten with you despite what he does or says. You just don't look at someone like the way he looks at you and _not _be in love."

Paige, touched, refrained from letting her tears fall in front of Ray. "Even if that's true," Paige combed her fingers through her hair, "Walter and I've decided to keep things professional between us; it's what's best for the team."

"What's best for the team isn't loneliness." Ray only shrugged. "People are at their best when they're surrounded by those they love. If you ask me, I think you two should act on your feelings for each other; only then would you both be truly happy, and only then would Scorpion be at its best. If everyone's happy, then saving the world together feels 100% better - at least… that's what I heard or something."

Paige wondered if Ray was hinting at something from his past, but she didn't press. He would open up when he was ready. "So what's stopping you from being happy, Patty?"

Paige turned towards Walter and saw him sitting at his desk, working on one of his new projects, completely oblivious to the world. She couldn't help but grin at him.

"That's what I thought," Ray grinned as he rose to his feet and made his way to his temporary home as Paige continued watching Walter with a smile.

_Maybe Ray's right. Maybe there __**is **__only one route we can take together. _

**~ SCORPION ~**

After Paige returned to making dinner, Ray waltzed up to Walter with a wide grin plastered to his face. "Hello, Wally."

"Ray," Walter muttered, acknowledging his presence.

After the genius shared a glance with Ray, Ray said, "So… what's the deal between you and Patty?"

"Paige. Her name is Paige." Walter said, always so quick to correct Ray every time he referenced Paige as "Patty" in front of him.

"Fine," Ray dramatically rolled his eyes. "What's the deal between you and _Paige_?"

"N-Nothing," Walter faked a smile. "Why do you, uh, why do you ask?"

"Oh, I don't know," Ray shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe it's the goo goo eyes you keep giving her."

Walter forced a nervous chuckle. "I do _not _give Paige _goo goo _eyes."

Ray tried a different tactic. "She has the hots for you, you know?"

Walter's forced smile faded as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Sh-She does?"

"Oh yeah," Ray gave him a thumb's up. "I notice things, Wally. She _really _has the hots for you."

Walter folded his hands in front of him and cleared his throat. "H-How can you tell?"

Ray shrugged. "I can just sense it. She's always smiling at you whenever you're not looking; she talks to you more than she talks to anybody else, and she licks her lips anytime I bring up your name."

Walter shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Unless she said something about it," he cleared his throat again, "then those observations are inadmissible."

Ray held up his hands in defense. "Okay, fine. I get it. Wally's in denial. Nothing wrong with that."

"I'm not," Walter forced out a laugh, "I'm not in denial of anything."

"You can't fool me, Wally," Ray waggled his pointer finger in front of the genius. "You like her - perhaps even love her - but you don't like change. You're afraid of it - afraid of losing two very good things in your life. Take some advice; don't be afraid of change - it happens. We all must adapt to it. Even though we can't control many things in our lives, we do control what makes us happy, and I _know _for a _fact _that Patty _and _Ralphy-boy make you happy, Wally."

Walter's eyes scrolled over to Paige who was busy making dinner in the kitchen. She was humming softly and subtly dancing as she washed some of the dishes. He then looked at Ray but didn't know what to say.

"You have a window of opportunity to be happy with someone who obviously loves you, Wally." Ray shoved his hands into his pockets and started for the air-stream mini. "Coming from experience, you don't want to waste it."

Walter pursed his lips as his eyes flickered towards Paige again. He still said nothing. Instead, he abruptly stood up, oblivious to everything but Paige. He didn't even notice Ray slipping away from him as he slowly starting approaching her.

Paige suddenly felt a pair of eyes watching her as she preheated the oven and placed a glass dish of chicken casserole on top of the stove; nervously, she spun around, somehow knowing Walter was the one standing behind her.

"Dinner isn't ready yet," she smiled gently as she leaned against the counter, "probably another 50 min-"

Out of nowhere, the genius swiftly approached her, grabbed her cheeks and yanked her into a hungry, open-mouth kiss. Paige automatically strung her arms up around his neck and weaved her fingers through his hair as his mouth moved rapidly with hers. Paige was finding Walter's sudden forward behavior rather hot and thought it was quite the turn on. He towered over her as he kissed her and leaned against her, wanting - for reasons he still didn't particularly understand - to be as physically close to her as possible.

But when he finally _did _pull away, it wasn't even a second before Paige grabbed his tie and yanked him back down to her for another searing kiss. She allowed her hands to freely roam, slowly gliding over his well-toned torso and feeling his muscly arms underneath her palms.

Walter's hands boldly moved to the small of her back, slowly and daringly inching her blouse up until he could feel her smooth skin underneath his fingers. She moaned into his mouth as her tongue danced and played with his; she needed more.

God, did she need more.

Paige was tempted, right then and there, to strip off her clothes and let Walter have his wicked way with her, but the feeling of his warm hand melting against her skin felt way too damn good for her to ruin the moment by possibly mortifying the man (though, she was sure, if they keep up their current charades, being naked with Walter was more than likely a futuristic possibility than one of her often repeated fantasies). While one of his hands was sliding underneath her bra clasp and sending all sorts of electricity throughout Paige's body, Walter dipped his other hand underneath the lip of her skirt and slid it inside her panties. He boldly touched her, and she hissed against his lips in response.

For reasons unknown to him, he felt like whatever he was doing to her was right - it was like his body had a mind of its own. He utterly had no idea what he was doing, but everything he did (so far) was well reciprocated. And he didn't want to stop touching her so intimately.

She kissed him deeper and purred into his mouth as he delved a finger into her wet folds,

"Hey Project Manager!" Toby's sudden, loud voice forced a ripple between Walter and Paige, immediately causing the genius to jump at least two - maybe three - feet away from the liaison. He was too disoriented to tell. Walter reluctantly stepped back and away from view as Paige quickly smoothed out her clothes, sat down in a chair and crossed her legs together (because she didn't dare trust herself to stand on her own) before the shrink pranced his way into the kitchen. "When's our food gonna be ready!?

"F-Forty-five," Paige's cleared her throat, "Forty-five minutes."

Toby eyed her suspiciously and looked around the kitchen as though he was expecting to find something or _someone_. He decided to let whatever theory his mind was cooking up go just this once. "An eternity."

_Oh she wished. _

Then she realized she hadn't even placed the dish into the oven. "On second thought, it might be longer," she combed her fingers through her hair and tried _not _to think about the reason why dinner was going to late. "I forgot to put the casserole into the oven."

Toby cocked a brow. "How could you forget something like that?"

"G-Got," she cleared her throat again, "got distracted."

"From what?" Toby laughed out loud, "the poor decor in this dingy garage?!"

Paige didn't have to answer him. "Since I haven't put in the casserole yet, feel free to pick up your own dinner."

Toby gave the casserole a onceover. He shrugged. "Never really liked chicken casseroles anyway so I think I'm just gonna go to Kovelsky's for dinner and then call it a night." He paused and then quickly added, "By the way, on my way there, I'll pick up Ralph from aftercare; we have a Smash Bros battle to settle so ScorpJunior's gonna stay the night at my place if that's all right."

"Sounds good," Paige was a little too quick with her answer. "He loves Smash Bros, and since it's a Friday," she tried to make her explanation sound authentic, "I don't mind him staying up an extra hour if he wants."

"I, uh," she knew Walter was watching her from the shadows and wondered if he was planning to finish what he started later tonight. She had to curl her toes to keep herself from blushing. "I have a lot of paperwork to, uh, to take home so it would be a pretty boring night for him if he were to come home with me."

"Smash Bros it is, then." Toby smirked as he fish-bumped the air. "Have a good night, Miss Dineen." His grin grew wider. "A _very _good night." And as he stepped away, he exclaimed, "You too, 197!"

Both Paige and Walter stood where they were as Toby hollered to everyone, inviting them to Kovelsky's. To their delight, Sylvester, Happy and Cabe accepted Toby's invitation and were gone in minutes. Walter finally came out of hiding and was prepared to have her in his arms again when Ray, of course, waltzed into the kitchen in his bathrobe.

"Oh hey! Great! You made dinner!" Ray exclaimed as he grabbed a spoon and immediately scooped some cold chicken casserole into his mouth. Paige was about to say something and let the man know it wasn't cooked yet, but she didn't speak up in time. He hummed and ate more of it. "Don't you just love home-cooked meals?"

"Ray," Walter forced a smile, wanting - no, desperately needing - Ray to leave effective immediately, "Toby and the others are going to Kovelsky's. The invitation extended to you, too."

Ray mulled it over for a second. "Nah - not a big fan of that place."

"Ray," the genius gave the unorthodox man a frightfully stern look. "Your cell is ringing; it's probably Toby wondering where you are."

"Really?" Ray blinked as he shoveled more food into his mouth, "Cuz I don't hear anyth-"

"Get lost," Walter said abruptly; his impatience did crazy things to Paige's insides as Ray just looked at the genius.

"You want me to leave?" Ray frowned, "But I just started living here."

"Oh you," Paige rolled her eyes and laughed. "Walter doesn't mean permanently - just... for tonight."

"Oh." Then it dawned on him. "Ohhhhh. Gotcha. Wally and Patty need to get their funk on. I see it. I dig it. I'll just be in the air-stream mini. All night." He started walking backwards. "But if you need me for anything, I'll be here."

"Not tonight, Ray," Paige called out to him before disappearing to her desk. She quickly returned with her purse, dangling her apartment key in front of Ray. "Tonight, you can stay at my place - on the couch."

"But," Ray raised an eyebrow, "wouldn't it make more sense for you two to do the nasty at your apartment instead of here? I wouldn't have to leave, and you'd have your privacy."

Walter and Paige looked at each other and then looked at Ray.

"I'll drive," Walter said as he fished for Paige's keys from inside her purse, grabbed the woman's hand and towed her out the door in seconds.

Ray just rolled his eyes and chuckled as he carried cold chicken casserole back to the air-stream mini.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

If the demand is high, I _might _write a follow-up chapter. _Might_.


	41. Window of Opportunity (EXTENSION)

**WriterFreak001: **

Sorry for the delay for the second part; I had like 30 people beg for a second part so… here it is. I will update _Kill Switch _probably next Friday since I work tomorrow, but I do have a few SHORT Waige fics (like seriously very short) that I'll post between now and then. Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

**Title** | Window of Opportunity

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "What if Paige and Ray have a heart-to-heart about Walter, as Ray seems to see Walter in a somewhat different light than the rest of the team?" (Requested by anonymous on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Window of Opportunity**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**Extension  
**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

The moment they were inside Paige's apartment door, Walter kicked the door closed, pulled the liaison into his arms and kissed her hungrily. He had never wanted any woman as much as he wanted Paige, and now that they had their privacy (though, privacy didn't really stop them at the garage), he could finally have her all to himself.

He didn't know what had come over him, but he _wanted _to be the man who was privileged to see her in every possible way. He wanted to touch her any time he wanted without reason. He wanted a lot of things with Paige, and to know she wanted similar if not all entirely the same kinds of things made him want them even more.

He thought his confidence of wanting sexual intimacy with Paige would die during the ride over to her apartment, but it only made him grow incredibly and increasingly impatient. He was even tempted to pull over just to touch her without causing a roadway accident (because he really couldn't afford _another _vehicular accident with his car insurance being so high from the last one), but he didn't want Paige to think he was only wanting sex.

Maybe if he was the same Walter O'Brien from a few years ago, just sex would have been acceptable. He had physical and sexual needs that needed to be met from time to time. But, ever since he met Paige, things changed for him. He slowly fell for Paige Dineen, and he wanted to know everything about her. He knew more facts about Paige than he knew of Happy or even his sister. He knew her favorite movie. Her favorite color. Her favorite coffee. Favorite actor and actress (though he'd never heard of them), favorite song, favorite restaurant. He knew all of her favorites, and he also knew her little quirks. Quirks _she _probably didn't even know about herself.

And tonight, if she would have him, he would have the honored privilege to know every intimate detail about her. And she, him. He was tired of keeping his professional distance, and Ray was right; being happy was what would keep Scorpion functioning properly. He would never stop caring for her and wanting to protect her so why avoid his feelings? It wasn't logical anymore. It might have made sense at the time, when they made the decision to remain professional, but now? So much had happened, and instead of bottling up his feelings for her, they only grew stronger.

If all of the feelings he felt for Paige authenticated the existence of love, then Walter O'Brien was a lovesick fool, and he couldn't care less.

Paige feathered kisses along his jawline as she swiftly loosened his tie, slid it out from underneath his collar and freed the buttons of his button-up before pushing the thin material off of his shoulders and lifting his white T-shirt over his head. Her palms glided down his chest towards his well-toned abdomen as she moved her lips from his jaw to the base of his neck before bringing them back to his mouth. He brought his hands to her waist and tugged at the hem of her shirt, freeing it from being tucked into her skirt. He then peeled her shirt off of her, wanting nothing but her skin pressed up against his. As though reading his mind, Paige wasted no time taking off her bra before pushing down her skirt and her panties, allowing Walter O'Brien to see _all _of her.

She took a step towards him and strung her arms around his neck, pressing her warm flesh against his. "I want this," she whispered as her fingers weaved through his unruly hair. "I want _you_."

Walter gulped as her aroused voice sent shivers down his spine; all courage he had of making love to Paige died that instant, and he suddenly had no idea what to do. Paige's confidence, however, brazenly increased. She kissed him lovingly on the mouth before spinning in his arms and wrapping his arms around her. "Now," she purred as she inched one of his hands towards her sex and placed the other firmly over her breast, "Now it's just you and me, Walter." She waited a beat before boldly saying, "Don't hold back."

Out of nowhere, his confidence returned full force as he gently squeezed Paige's breast and glided his fingers down into her folds, while whispering, "I don't plan on it."

Walter, a man of his promises, stayed true to his statement all night long, and when he woke up with a naked, well-spent Paige sleeping on top of him, he knew he was right where he was supposed to be.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I know some of you were probably hoping for more smut, but I just wasn't feeling it for some reason. I really tried writing a smutty section for this fic, but everything I wrote felt forced and wasn't to my satisfaction.

The ending probably sucks, but I PROMISE a smuttier story in the future (not sure when, though).

I'm just drained from work and my online class that I haven't had time to write. It's kind of overwhelming. Other than one other one-shot I plan on writing, I'm going to devote my extra writing time to finishing "Kill Switch" and "Poaching."

Thanks!


	42. Let Me Protect You

**WriterFreak001: **

I needed a brain break. Here is the result of my brain break.

* * *

**Title** | Let Me Protect You

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Waige + garage + Paige moves to maine again (i want a heart broke right now)" (Requested by anonymous on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Let Me Protect You**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

She hated herself for leaving him again. She didn't want to. God, she didn't want to, but she had no choice. Drew had never been satisfied with their custody arrangement and after months of turning down opportunities to spend time with his son, he displaced the blame on Paige and threatened to sue her for keeping Ralph away from him. The bastard. Afraid a judge would side with her good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend and would take her precious baby boy away from her, she agreed to move to Maine to avoid the possibility of losing her son.

She knew she needed to tell Walter. Hell, she needed to tell Ralph, but he was spending the night at a friend's house; she couldn't ruin that for him. Not yet. Not now. Walter should be the first to know anyway. He needed to be. He had to be because needed to get it over with so she could be emotionally strong whenever she delivers the bad news - the wretched, awful, horrible bad news - to her son. However, in spite of her need to tell Walter she and Ralph were leaving again, she couldn't muster the courage to get out of her car. For the last ten minutes, she had been sitting in the driver's seat, unwilling to approach the garage. She didn't want to. She didn't want to leave her car and pretend everything was going to be okay. It wasn't. Nothing was going to be okay. NOTHING ABOUT THIS WAS EVER GOING TO BE OKAY!

She almost left him once, and as a price, she almost lost him. She feared what would happen to him once she... once she and Ralph were gone. She didn't want to think about it.

Eventually, she found herself climbing out of her car and dragging her feet towards the garage. She hesitated to open it, but before she could run away and avoid breaking her heart... and Walter's heart... again, she was already walking towards the red sofa just inside the door. She dropped her purse onto the coffee table, collapsed into the couch and buried her face into hands, hoping and praying Walter was already in bed asleep. But he wasn't. She knew he wasn't. He was tinkering away on his rocket as he always did late at night, and for many minutes, that was all she heard. But eventually, as could be expected, they stopped.

Walter knew she was there.

She could hear him slowly approaching her, but she didn't dare move. If she saw him... saw his eyes... saw everything she loved about him..., she would lose the resolve she spent all afternoon trying to recover and rebuild. She couldn't afford to break down right now.

"Paige?" Her silence unnerved Walter, and he instantly knew something was wrong. "Is," he wasn't really sure what to say, but he knew he needed to say _something, _"Is everything okay?"

Still, no answer.

Walter didn't like this. Something was really troubling her, and he hated himself for not knowing how to handle the situation properly. He settled for the obvious: removing her hands from her face. Walter dropped to his knees in front of her and wrapped his fingers gently around her wrists. His touch startled her, but she didn't pull away from him. She didn't have the heart to.

Slowly, he peeled her hands from her face and frowned as tears fell down her cheeks. Her eyes were red from crying... _hours _of crying, and there were dark circles stretched across the skin just underneath her eyes. She was still beautiful though.

"Paige," he whispered her name, needing desperately to understand what was going on, and she knew, the moment he asked her what was wrong, she was going to break. "Why are you crying?"

He never expected her to throw herself into his arms and cry into his white T-shirt..., but that was what she did. He instinctively tightened his arms around her and held her close to him as she sobbed loudly, but he really had no idea what he was doing or if he _what_ he was doing was even the right thing to do. He was at a complete loss, but if there was one thing he knew about Paige, he knew she sought comfort in tactility. And for her to break down like this, something must have happened, and Walter had this sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach that he wasn't going to like it, either.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"I'm sorry about your shirt," Paige muttered before taking a sip from her cinnamon flavored coffee Walter had fixed for her after she had calmed down from crying. "I didn't mean to get it dirty with my makeup."

Walter shrugged with a smile. "I have plenty of others."

A small grin colored her lips. "I'm sure you do."

Walter suddenly looked away from her as his smile faded, and she instantly knew where he was going to take their conversation next. "About earlier…"

"Walter…," Paige's voice trailed as his eyes met hers intensely.

"I, uh," he sat down in the chair across from her and carefully placed his hand over hers. "I don't like it when you're upset." He paused for a moment and waited for her to say something, but she didn't. "It, uh, it frustrates me because I don't know what's going on… or what to do… or even know how to handle the situation." He looked at their conjoined hands and found the strength within him to continue. "W-why were you crying earlier?"

Paige inhaled a deep breath and raked her hand through her hair as she quickly wiped away another onset of tears. "Drew… He, uh, he called this afternoon."

_Oh. _Walter frowned and chose his words carefully. "What did the bas—what did _he_ want?"

Paige avoided looking into Walter's eyes as her tears started to fall again. "He wants… No. He's _demanding _Ralph and I move up to Maine effective immediately." She finally met his eyes, and he sat there in shock. For both of them, memories of their last major fight floated into their minds. Walter released the breath he didn't know he had been holding and looked directly into her watery eyes. "You're not… You're not considering it, are you?"

Paige visibly looked away from him. "I don't have a choice in the matter."

Walter withdrew his hand from hers and slammed his fist on the table. "You _always _have a choice!"

Paige rose to her feet and pushed her hair back. "No, I don't, Walter." She subtly shook her head, "Not this time."

"And why the hell not?!" He threw his hands outward.

"Because he's threatening to have me sued for keeping Ralph away from him!" Paige shouted louder than she wanted.

"If he wants to sue, then let him! We can fight it, Paige! All of us. We can fight it!" Walter instinctively grabbed her hands again and squeezed them.

"I can't fi—I can't fight it," Paige withdrew herself from Walter and wrapped her arms around herself as she continued to back away from the genius. "I can't risk losing my son. I can't risk losing Ralph."

"You won't," Walter violently shook his head as he approached her. "I won't let anybody take Ralph away from you. _Ever_."

Paige found his eyes as more tears fell down her cheeks. "You can't promise that."

"Yes I can!" Walter exclaimed, even though he knew his outburst was illogical. Paige was right. Realistically, he couldn't make that promise. But what he _could _do was exhaust everything he could to protect Ralph from being taken away from his mother. "You just have to trust me!"

Paige wiped away her tears and circled around the man. "I'm sorry, Walter! I just… I can't lose my son. I can't… I can't lose him." She started to leave for the door, but he desperately grabbed her hand. He almost lost her once to Maine.

Never again.

"You can't go, Paige." He squeezed her fingers. "You _can't _go."

"I have to…."

"No, you don't!" He was shouting again.

"Yes, I do!" She whirled around on her heels and matched his tone. "I have to protect him, Walter! I have to protect my baby boy!"

"_I_ can protect him, Paige!" Walter firmly gripped Paige's shoulders. "I can protect _both _of you!"

"And then what, Walter!?" Paige gazed into his desperate eyes. "We wait until Drew files for a court order and demands for full custody?! He's never going to give up!" She tore herself away from him and hesitantly added, "Thank y-you for everything, Walter, and I mean it. Everything." Her lips trembled as she slowly grabbed her purse before turning towards the door. "I have to go."

Walter just stood there, frozen, as he watched her, once again, walk away from him. He clenched his fists, desperate to do something. Anything! He wasn't going to go through this again. He _wasn't _going to go through this again. Walter suddenly found himself running up to her. He called her name, and she spun around just before he grabbed her cheeks and crashed his lips into hers. He needed her to know… She _had _to know….

Paige, in her complete surprise, stepped backwards just as his lips captured hers and hit her back against the door. Instinctively, Walter leaned into her and pinned her against its cool metal. She tried to fight it. She tried to resist him kissing her, but it was all too much. Her purse dropped to the floor, and she clutched his face as she passionately kissed him back.

Walter eventually pulled away and gently pressed his forehead to hers. "Don't go. _Please _don't go."

"I don't want to…," she uttered softly as his warm breath brushed against her chin. "I really don't want to, Walter."

"Then don't." He lightly kissed her as he threaded his fingers through her silky hair. "Don't go." He grazed his lips against hers and muttered, "I won't let anything happen to Ralph…," he backed away so he could see her misty, beautiful brown eyes. "Or to you."

She bit her lip. "You promise?"

He gave her a small smile and wiped away her fallen tears. "I promise."

She turned slightly and kissed his palm. "Then I'll… _we'll _stay."

"And tonight?"

She grinned as she slowly loosened his tie and slid it out from underneath his collar. "Yes, Walter. I'll stay the night."

A soft smile found his lips as he leaned in to kiss her again. "Good."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Despite the prompt, I just couldn't bring myself to have Paige leave again.

Anyway, let me know what you think regardless!


	43. Way Too Much Fun

**WriterFreak001: **

This gets pretty steamy… and is pretty short. Consider it a ficlet.

* * *

**Title** | Too Much Fun

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Waige + kitchen + cooking + not really cooking at all (requested by kariina on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Way Too Much Fun**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Don't touch that!" Paige exclaimed as she swatted her boyfriend's hand away from the Christmas cookies. "I'm not done with them."

"They look pretty done to me," Walter chuckled as he reached for another cookie.

Paige lightly smacked his hand. "No, Walter. I still need to add the icing. And I have another batch I need to make. Lots to do, now if you don't mind, _please _leave the kitchen so I can get all of this done in time for the Christmas party."

"The Christmas party isn't for another five hours" Walter laughed as he dipped his pinky into the icing. "I think you'll be okay to relax and take a short break."

Paige stuck her tongue out at him as he licked his little finger. "Okay. You made your point. Now _out_," she pointed towards his desk. "I'll take a break once I finish icing these cookies and making the second batch of cookies."

He dipped another finger into the tub of icing and poked her nose.

"What was that for?" Paige crossed her arms and failed to suppress a smile.

Walter shrugged. "Just having some fun."

Paige cocked a brow. "You call _that _fun?"

"That _is _what I said," Walter smirked. His plan was working. He knew Paige was never one to back down from a challenge. "Do you...," he then dipped his entire hand into the frosting before smearing the red, gooey goodness across her cheeks. "...have a _better _idea of fun?"

"Oh, you've done it _now_, O'Brien," Paige hid her sudden shock and plunged her hand into the icing as the genius took a few steps back from her. She then rubbed her hands together and slowly approached him. "I'm about to change your entire _concept _of fun."

_Oh, she has... on multiple occasions..._

Paige suddenly leapt for Walter and as they toppled over and hit the hard floor, she grabbed his cheeks with her red, sticky hands and crushed her lips to his. Her palms then covered his hair with red icing as her fingers twisted through his wild curls, but the genius refused to be outdone by her. After scraping off some of the icing from her cheeks, he eagerly pushed up her dark green blouse and unhooked the front clasp of her bra before smothering red frosting all over her peaked breasts.

She moaned in pleasure, and the way she purred his name against his mouth just spurred him on. He feathered kisses down her neck and lightly trailed his lips down to the valley between her breasts before grazing her left nipple with his teeth. She hummed a little louder and continued raking her fingers through her boyfriend's dark curls as she arched her slender body upwards. God, she wanted more.

He fiddled with the button of her jeans for what seemed like an eternity before being able to loosen it without removing his mouth from her breast, and the way his skin melted against hers as glided one hand below her panties made the woman scream inside her mind. They hadn't been _this _crazy in weeks! She mindlessly spread her legs apart for him and lifted herself up as he slowly pulled at her jeans and her panties until they were scrunched down to her ankles. Paige kicked them away as Walter pecked a trail of kisses down her body and stopped just before his next target. He then hovered his lips above her core and smirked. His plan had worked perfectly. "Still think your idea of fun is better than mine?"

"Oh, shut up." Paige mumbled as she fell backwards at stared at the ceiling. That _God _they were the only ones at the garage right now.

"Gladly,"

The cookies were left sitting on the counter for another two hours, and, for once, Paige actually didn't care.

She was having way too much fun.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I actually had fun writing this.


	44. Another Resolution

**WriterFreak001: **

I had lots of fun writing this until 4 in the morning. :) Well worth the almost all-nighter. :D

* * *

**Title** | Another Resolution

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Because we didn't get much Waige Tonight, can you write a New Years fic? Maybe one where Paige kisses Walters cheek at midnight and smudges lipstick on his cheek? I love fics where the couple isn't established yet and I think you could write a super awesome and feel inducing story." (requested by anonymous on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Another Resolution**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Not too long after the fire died down and all of the artificial snow had melted, everybody was exhausted from their snowball fight and was ready to retire for the night. Walter, who _definitely _did not want to share a tent with Sylvester, watched everyone head for separate tents. Toby and Happy, much to Walter's surprise (and grimace), slipped inside the same tent, and Cabe climbed into another - the one furthest away from Sylvester's tent. Though the thought of sharing a tent with a snoring human calculator didn't sit well with Walter, sharing a tent with Cabe was infinitely worse. Cabe might not be a snorer, but he wasn't exactly a quiet sleeper either. Not to mention, their body sizes. While Walter was a tall, somewhat muscular man, Cabe was broad and stocky…. Being in the same tent with the agent wouldn't be very comfortable….

He then spotted Paige walking Ralph to the door and quietly ordering him to go down to the loft and brush his teeth. As the boy disappeared beyond the door, Walter slowly approached the young mother and smiled. "What you did for everyone… setting all of this up… helping everyone forget about what happened today…. that was…," he casually bit his lip and leaned slightly to his right as she naturally reciprocated his movement and angled herself towards him, "Thank you."

Paige, always happy and ready to receive _any _sort of gratitude from Walter O'Brien, swayed her hips as she folded her arms across her chest and grinned. "Awww, you're welcome." She suddenly took a step towards him and winked. "But you know," she glided her hands down to his and rubbed her thumbs carefully and appreciatively over his coarse knuckles, "I couldn't have pulled all of this off without you."

"I, uh," he paused at the way she was gazing into his eyes and gulped. "Th-that is a c-correct statement. Um, I… I _did _provide the snow…."

"Which, as I said earlier," she squeezed his hands gently and brought them to her waist before gracefully stringing her arms around his neck, "was very, _very _sweet of you." She cocked her head slightly and then grinned. "Watching you… having fun… was especially entertaining." Gently, she weaved her fingers through his soft curls and quietly added, "I like seeing this fun, playful side of you." Walter blinked in response so she bravely continued. "Someday," she caressed his cheeks, "Someday I hope to know all sides of you, Walter O'Brien…. I…," she glanced at his lips and then his eyes, "I _want _to know everything about you…." She paused for a second before adding, "And I hope…, someday, you'd want to know everything about me, too."

Walter, completely and utterly stunned by her words, parted his mouth and spotted her lower lip curling under her upper lip. He wanted to kiss her again. God, did he want to kiss her again and forget about being professional… forget about the image of Scorpion… forget about his unhappiness whenever she wasn't near. Maybe just this once… kissing her and holding her and simply being with her would be okay….

"Walter..?"

"Hm?" The genius didn't trust himself to speak as she cupped his cheeks and softly smiled at him.

She stepped up on her tiptoes and slowly began to close the distance between them. She slightly angled her face as her nose grazed against his and whispered, "Happy New Year, Walter." She then touched her lips to his cheek and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Mom!"

Paige and Walter jumped apart in seconds and looked _anywhere _but at each other when Ralph came running up the stairs. "Mom!" the boy exclaimed again.

"Shhhhh," Paige covered Ralph's mouth with her palm and bent over to kiss the top of his head as she combed her free fingers through his thick hair, "not so loud."

"Sowwy," the boy mumbled against her palm.

She gently removed her hand from her son's mouth and quietly asked, "What is it, baby?"

"Can I sleep in Cabe's tent?"

Paige, surprised, lifted her eyebrows. "You don't want to sleep in my tent?"

"I do, but…," Ralph glanced at Walter for a second before returning his attention to his mother. "Physically, it's impossible for Cabe and Walter to fit comfortably inside a tent. I'm the smallest of the three of us, and Cabe is the largest, in terms of width. It makes sense for me to be the one to share the tent with him."

Walter and Paige glanced at one another, and once the genius gave the liaison a small nod of approval, Paige turned back to her son and cupped his cheeks. "Okay then." She kissed his forehead. "Behave and do everything Cabe asks you to… if he's not already asleep yet."

"Okay," Ralph quietly exclaimed as he bolted for Cabe's tent.

After the boy climbed inside and zipped up the tent's entrance, Walter scratched the back of his neck and nervously chuckled. "So, um," he pursed his lips and gulped, "You can take the last tent, and I'll just, uh, sleep downstairs."

"Oh, come on," Paige playfully rolled her eyes and grabbed hold of Walter's hand, "It won't be _that _bad." She dragged him to the tent and ordered him to climb inside first. He, with very little reason to argue, obeyed and slipped inside the tent. He frowned. There was only _one _sleeping bag stretched across the floor of the tent, all ready for use. He could have sworn he placed two sleeping bags in each tent…. Paige, after noticing why Walter was taking so long, casually touched the back of his shoulder and whispered, "It's okay, Walter. Just… lie down, and I'll… well, I'll be creative."

"Okay…," the genius mumbled as he fell onto the sleeping bag and twisted himself until he was facing the mesh stretching across the ceiling above him. He had one hand pillowing his head and the other resting over his abdomen. After sliding inside the tent and zipping up the door, Paige, much to Walter's delight (or fear… he wasn't sure yet), fell beside him and used his chest as her pillow. She then automatically laced her fingers with his and curled her ankle over his leg before craning her neck upward to gaze into his eyes.

"I promise I won't bite."

"Oh, _believe _me," Walter mumbled as he tried not to focus on where her knee was _almost _touching, "That's _not _what I'm worried about."

Paige smirked to herself and squeezed his hand in response as she slowly closed her eyes.

A few minutes of dead silence passed before Walter, who wasn't ready to sleep yet, wanted Paige's opinion on something. "I have another resolution…."

Paige, who was _also _still awake, opened her eyes and found the genius staring at her. "Oh?" She twisted her body around and carefully hovered over him so she could see his illuminated features better. "And what's that?"

He paused for a moment before answering when she pressed her chest to his and brushed the tips of her fingers through his curls. He naturally slid his palms behind her to keep her steady and rested them against the small of her back as she continued to graze her fingers along the sides of his face. When he was ready to speak, he cleared his throat and inhaled a deep breath.

"By the end of the year," he mumbled quietly as he brought his left hand to her face and softly rubbed his thumb over her lips, "I want to have a… uh… a better understanding of love."

Paige, incredibly surprised, cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "I thought you didn't believe in love."

"… I was wrong." He paused for a beat before explaining his answer. "Toby, today, went through hell trying to find Happy because he loves her. At first, I thought him going after her was unwise, but then, with a little help from Toby, I realized I would move heaven and earth to find you if _you _were the one in Happy's place. I don't know if that's love or… something else, but it provided me with some clarity."

"What… sort of clarity?" Paige asked, unable to hide the colorful smile spreading across her lips.

"… I… I want to give us.. you and me… a shot." Walter spoke quietly and quickly. "I don't want to have any regrets…,, and," he found himself looking _only _at her plump lips, "I like the way you make me feel when you hold my hands or… hold me like th–"

Before Walter could even finish his rambling thoughts, Paige grabbed his warm cheeks and crashed her mouth to his, prompting the man to kiss her as passionately as she was kissing him.

And he did.

God, did he kiss her. Instinctively, Walter wrapped his arms around Paige and held her to his body as he twisted the two of them over until he was the one doing the pinning. He then linked his fingers with hers and held them above her head as his mouth memorized the feel of her lips touching his. Paige found herself curling her legs around Walter's middle, and as she clung to him, he absentmindedly rolled his hips against hers, eliciting a small, quiet moan from the back of Paige's throat. And as she opened her mouth against his and pleasurably whimpered again, he kissed her harder and plunged his tongue past her lips.

Good God….

Paige closed her eyes as Walter feathered kisses along her neck and purred when he sucked on her soft skin at the base of her throat. This man was beautifully driving her insane, and all she wanted was more of Walter kissing her and holding her and touching her… and loving her.

He _wanted _to love her too.

Paige, as Walter trailed fiery kisses along her collarbone, clumsily loosened the buttons of Walter's shirt and pushed it off of his shoulders before pulling at the hem of his white undershirt. He helped her lift it over his head, and after she peeled the shirt off of him, she tossed it to the side and slowly rubbed her palms over his broad, muscular shoulders.

Walter stared at the way Paige's dark red blouse was tucked into her frilly skirt before slowly loosening the material from her waistline. Paige knew what the genius wanted and glided off her shirt for him. She then cupped his face and brought his lips back to hers for a hot, wet kiss as his fingers played with the clasp of her bra.

He carefully unhooked the material concealing her breasts and slowly stripped the straps off of her shoulders, but Paige didn't give him any time to look at her bare chest as she strung her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth. The way her flesh felt against his made his mind swirl, but he wanted more. God, did he want more.

"I want this…," he whispered into her ear as their fingers entwined together. "…I… I want _you_."

Paige, absolutely breathless, gently kissed his lips and muttered, "I want you, too, Walter. I have for a long time, now." She brought one of his hands to her breast and smiled. "I'm all yours…."

Walter, completely amazed by this woman, lowered himself down to kiss her when –

"You do realize we can all hear you two, right?" Toby suddenly exclaimed from his and Happy's tent, and the couple froze. They had forgotten they weren't alone.

Walter immediately slumped forward, pressing his chest to Paige's as she nervously laughed. "Rain check?"

"Oh," Walter surprised her with a kiss, "most definitely."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Now that FFN reviews seem to be working again, let me know what you think! PS. A new chapter of _Kill Switch _will be updated this week! I SWEAR! :) I already started working on it. :)


	45. Preparation

**WriterFreak001: **

Wrote this and posted it to Tumblr last night but forgot to post it to the Chronicles. Ooops! Hope you enjoy! :)

Warning: Walter &amp; Paige miiiiight be a little OOC towards the end, but whatever. I like the ending. ;)

* * *

**Title** | Preparation

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Can you write a longer version of your dream? But in the end Walter doesn't go to his date because..." (Prompt by nono015 on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Preparation**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"You want me to _what_?" Paige, who wasn't particularly on board with Walter's ludicrously insane idea, arced an eyebrow and frowned at her boss. Of all of the things he had ever asked her to do, _why _this? Why make her suffer even more?

"Please Paige?" Walter would gravel if he had to, "I know this is an _odd _request, and I know it's not fair for me to ask you to help me out with this, but… there's no one else…, and I would have asked Toby or _anybody _else to help if I could, but Toby, as you know, is still sick with the Flu, Cabe has his _own _date night, asking Happy would be suicide, and Sly is… well, he wouldn't be much help. I _really _need your help, Paige." He, for the first time in his life, dropped to his knees and gazed into her deep hazel eyes. "_Please_?"

She inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly. "Fine," she sighed in defeat. "You win." She pushed away from her desk and rose to her feet. "Let's get this over with."

**~ SCORPION ~**

"Okay, now that we've gone over the basics, let's…," Paige ran her hand through her wavy hair and bit her lip as she stepped closer to Walter, "…see if you're flirting skills have improved since the last time we did this. Since this _is _a date, you'll have to be prepared for whatever advances she throws your way. If you don't respond at all, she'll think you're uninterested, she'll feel embarrassed and will want to leave early. If you put off too much of a vibe, which… I'm sure won't happen…, but if you do, and if she's _forward _enough, you'll find her tonguing you before the restaurant serves dessert."

"I'm," he gulped, "sure that won't happen."

"It could."

"It won't."

"But what if it did?"

"If it did, I would push her away." Walter answered with a strange sort of confidence.

Paige stepped closer to him and smoothed out his tie. "And why would you do that?"

"Because," he swallowed the lump in his throat, his confidence wavering again. "it would be inappropriate."

Paige cocked her head and studied his eyes as she rested her palms over his chest and leaned in closer. "And why would it be inappropriate, Walter?"

"Because…," he couldn't find the strength to finish his thoughts as Paige strung her arms around his neck and brought herself even closer to him.

Paige gazed intensely into his eyes and bit her lip before daring herself to finish his thoughts for him. "Because she's not me?"

Walter pursed his lips and gulped. "B-Because she's not you," he confirmed as he found himself wrapping his arms around the woman's waist and pinning her to him. Before he could stop himself, he added, "I don't want to date _her_, I _never _wanted to date her, Paige. I want to date _you_. _Only _you."

She frowned and slid her arms down from his neck to his chest in an attempt to push herself away from him. "Then why did you say yes to her?"

He visibly looked away from her, unable to answer.

Paige ignored his silence and pressed him again. "Why did you say yes, Walter?" When his hands fell away from her waist, she lightly pushed him away from her. "Why did you say yes?"

Walter gulped and flexed his fingers. "It made more sense to me at the time…."

"How does wanting to date _me _and taking another woman out to dinner make any sense at all?!" Paige, furious with Walter, pushed him a little harder. "Just what the hell were you thinking?! Did you think that I would be _okay _with you dating other women?! I know we're not together, but… I thought… I thought we were getting there, but then you turn around and go on this speed dating spree. How the hell am I supposed to know you want to date me when you go off having dinner with _other _woman?!"

"I did it all for you!" Walter, finally tired of Paige yelling at him, threw his hands up and groaned with frustration. "The reason I went on those stupid speed dates and even planned a date with another woman tonight was all for you!"

"That hardly makes sense!" Paige exclaimed, daring him to explain himself.

"You're right," Walter ran his hands through his hair, "It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but these dates, to me, were and are nothing more than experiments. I wanted to prove to myself I was the kind of man you want me to be…, and the only way I saw to do that was to have dinner with a woman who doesn't know who I am… who doesn't know I'm a genius… just to see if I can be _normal _for you."

Paige just stood there in silence and processed everything Walter was telling her. Eventually, she spoke. "Walter," Paige approached him slowly and took his hand in hers. "I don't want you to be anybody but yourself."

Walter raised his brow. Now he was greatly confused. "But a few months ago, you said you liked me being more human."

She shook her head. "You misunderstood me," she wrapped her arms around his neck again and gazed into his eyes. "It was never _about _being more human or being normal, Walter." She lightly threaded her fingers through his hair and gently rubbed his scalp. "I like seeing you _happy_, and yes, you being more human does make you happier in the long run, but being who you are _now _compared to the man you were when we first met didn't happen over night, Walter. You being happy is what really matters to me, Walter. Nothing else."

"So….," Walter was still confused. "You want me to be happy, but you don't want me to change in order to be worthy of what makes me the happiest?" Walter blinked. "Am I missing something/"

"Let me put it this way," Paige cupped his cheeks, "What makes you the happiest?"

"You," Walter said with absolute certainty. "You make me the happiest. Ralph too."

"Okay," Paige kept her composure and leaned closer. "So what's stopping you from having your happiness now?":

"Physically nothing," Walter gulped before adding, "but… I guess I, uh," he bit his lip and avoided the intensity of her gaze, "I don't feel worthy of happiness. Guys like me," he pursed his lips, "don't usually get happy endings."

"And yet," Paige strummed her thumb over his lips and smirked, "you have a woman currently in your arms, aching to kiss the hell out of you and give you that damn happy ending you're craving."

"That… seems about right," Walter mumbled quietly as she stepped up on her toes and touched her nose to his. "I can be such an idiot at times."

"A colossal, mega idiot," Paige whispered quietly as she leaned in slowly and gently pressed her lips against his. When she pulled away, she wrapped her arms around his torso and tightly embraced him. "I don't _need _you to change, Walter. I just need you _here_."

"Okay."

"And no more dates with other women after tonight," Paige pushed herself away from him and jabbed her finger into her chest.

He nodded swiftly. "Consider it done."

"Good," Paige softly smiled before pulling him down for another chaste kiss.

Walter, much to her delight, moved his mouth delicately with hers and hummed softly as he cupped her warm cheeks and held her face to his. Then, it suddenly hit him. "Wait," he pulled back slightly and lifted an eyebrow. "What did you mean by 'after tonight?'"

"It's time for you to face the consequences of your idiocy, Walter O'Brien." Paige smirked.

"What does that even mean?"

She repeatedly poked him hard in the chest. "_You _are going on that date tonight, and _you _are going to tell _Linda _the truth. Then you're going to apologize, and if I'm lucky, she'll slap you for me for playing with _both _of our emotions." Paige wiggled her way out of Walter's arms and headed quickly for the stairs.

"Wait, you can't be serious…" Walter immediately followed.

"As a peek frean." Paige sang playfully from the balcony, and when he caught up to her, she pushed him against the wall and surprised him with a hard, open-mouth kiss. (Not that he could complain.) "And when you return," Paige kissed him again before bringing her lips to the shell of his ear, "I'll be waiting," she sucked on his earlobe, "in your bed… wearing _nothing _but this tie," she whispered as she slowly slid his necktie off of him and glided it over her head.

Walter gulped and nervously laughed as his cheeks flared at the image Paige so graphically described for him. He then cleared his throat and asked, "C-Can't I just call her and cancel instead?"

"Nope," she shook her head and laughed. "Consider this payback for being such an idiot for saying yes to another woman." She kissed him deeply one more time before lightly pushing him away. "You better go. Don't want to keep _Linda _waiting."

"Believe me," he grunted as he absentmindedly (and instinctively?) grabbed Paige's ass and pushed her against his growing erection, "that's the _least _of my worries." Walter suddenly surprised Paige (and himself) when he spun her around and pinned her to the wall with his throbbing groin still pressing hard against her. He laced his fingers with hers and closed the distance between them with a hungry, wet kiss.

For some reason, he wanted _her _to have something to look forward to as well. (He couldn't be the only one aching for later.)

Paige moaned into his mouth as he rocked himself against her, and when she whimpered his name and begged not to stop, he abruptly pulled himself away from her and breathlessly mumbled, "I guess I should get going…. After all," he gazed intently into her dilated eyes and smirked, "I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Oh no you don't," Paige yanked him back to her, "You're not going _anywhere _after _that_."

"But you sai–"

"Forget what I said," Paige muttered as she slowly started undoing the buttons of his shirt. "Women get stood up all the time." She shrugged as she pushed his button-up over his shoulders and glided it off of him. "Now," she slid her hands underneath his white T-shirt and skimmed her fingers over the hairs of his chest, "let's go to your bedroom," she rubbed her thumbs over his hard nipples and kissed him gingerly, "and find that ultimate happiness we were talking about earlier."

"Gladly."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Hope you enjoyed it!

PS. I feel like no one likes "The Scorpion" because of the lack of viewership &amp; readers. (I take my stats very seriously because, depending on the numbers, they either encourage me or discourage me from continuing stories.)

:( Perhaps it wasn't a good idea after all.


	46. Rectifying Mistakes

**WriterFreak001: **

I had a lot of fun writing this! :)

* * *

**Title** | Rectifying Mistakes

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "After Paige and Ralph finishs help Walter in the end of 2x15, Ralph falls asleep and Walter and Paige have a talk about everything that happened and discuss their agreement of remaining professional colleagues" (Prompt by waigefeelings on Tumblr)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Rectifying Mistakes**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"He's out like a light," Paige smiled appreciatively at Walter as she quietly descended the stairs and swiftly approached him as he collapsed onto the sofa and silently yawned. "That goop experiment really tired him out." She grinned wryly when he yawned again. "Seems like Ralph's not the only one who's sleepy."

"It's been a long day," Walter shrugged with a small smile.

Paige nodded quietly and dropped to the seat next to him. "Yes, it has."

"But," Walter grinned, "I'm certainly not complaining…. about the experiment, that is. We certainly could have done without the bomb crisis today."

"You're telling me," Paige laughed as she casually hooked her arm around Walter's and leaned into the back of the sofa. "But… in the end… everything _did _work out. So, there's that."

"True. Very true." Walter mumbled as he glanced at the way her elbow was linked around his, "But…," he nervously laughed, "let's not make a habit of it anymore. I seem to always have to be the one encountering the bombs…. I mean, if I have no choice, of course I'll try my damnest to deactivate them, but…," he chuckled a little louder, "I'm just so tired of bombs."

"You can say that again," Paige laughed melodiously as she mindlessly leaned her head against his shoulder and tightened her arm around his. "Maybe one day we'll have an easy case, but…," she closed her eyes, "I'm not holding my breath."

"Easy would be a nice surprise." he muttered quietly. Walter, as though it was the most natural thing to him in the world, gently rested his head against hers and quietly spoke her name. "Paige?"

"Hm?"

"I know you're tired, but…," he carefully lifted his head as she craned her neck towards him and mumbled, "can we talk?"

Paige inhaled a deep breath and nodded as she pushed herself away from Walter and angled her body towards him. "What's up?"

"Before I, uh, go into certain details, I need you to know that the, uh, the speed dating and the date with Linda was nothing more than research. In fact," he nervously laughed, "I don't even know what I was thinking to be honest. The, uh, the speed dating thing was Toby's idea, actually. And while speed dating was an efficient way of meeting new people, it was, in the end and as you already know, a horrible idea, and when Linda called, I thought I could try engaging one-on-one with a Normal for a few hours and see how _that _would go, but… as you also know, it didn't go well either. I, uh," he straightened his back and swallowed thickly, "I just want you to know that, in spite of my recent endeavors, what, uh, what I feel for you hasn't changed…."

Paige quietly gasped and gazed deeply into his eyes in response to his confession. As she opened her mouth to say something, he continued.

"Slowly, uh," he suddenly found himself linking his fingers with hers and then gently squeezing her hand, "Slowly, I've been learning how mistakes… failures… aren't always bad…. That they can encourage people to try things again even if they don't work out the first few times. For example…, Elia, though his smart building was a complete failure, is planning to build another one. Also, Toby and Happy…. their strange connection didn't work the first time, but… they're still willing to give things a second chance…. And then there's Linda," he paused momentarily to breathe, but Paige's slight jealous expression didn't go unnoticed by the genius.

"Even after she had a bomb strapped to her chest because of me, she's not going to let it keep her from dating again." He decided against telling Paige about Linda's rejection to his dinner invitation, and began to finalize his argument. "With all of that said, it leads me to believe that _some _insanity is acceptable if it means _some _change is involved. Perhaps Elia _will _succeed with his new building, and _perhaps _Toby and Happy's relationship - however serious it is - will thrive. And maybe Linda will find someone to keep her from being eaten by her cat someday. I'm beginning to understand that, because the future is unpredictable, it's okay to try things again even when they don't work the first time."

Paige smiled and bumped her shoulder against his. "It's like that old saying goes: _if at first you don't succeed, try, try again_." She bit her lip and rubbed her thumb over his thumb knuckle. "I'm proud of you, Walter. You've come so far since we first met, and the fact that you just kicked the definition of insanity right in the ass says a lot about how much you've evolved."

Walter pursed his lips and nodded to her acknowledgement. "I do try."

"But," she mellifluously laughed and smirked, "Don't evolve _too _fast; otherwise, I'd be out of a job." Walter suddenly blanched. Scorpion without Paige was unthinkable. "Walter," Paige squeezed his hand, "I'm kidding."

He swallowed hard and cleared his throat, "I'll, uh, I'll stop effectively immediately then."

"Don't," Paige shook her head and laughed. "I said I was kidding, and besides," she settled back beside him and pressed her cheek to his shoulder, "I find your rationale of my world amusing."

"It's, uh," he boyishly grinned from her compliment, "quite a process, isn't it?"

"With _you_," Paige laughed and relaxed against him, "it definitely is." She craned her neck to look at him and smiled. "But… because you're happier by the end of the day, the crazy journey is totally worth it."

And suddenly, he remembered all he had initially wanted to say, and had finally found a way to say it. "Paige?"

"Yes?"

"There's, um, there's something else that makes me happier, too." he muttered as he angled himself towards her and issued her a genuine smile. "And I don't want to wait to want it anymore," he quietly added, knowing full well she had understood him.

Paige, either empowered by Walter's sweet words or by her strong desire to kiss him senselessly, suddenly climbed onto his lap and straddled her hips against him. Gently, she cupped his face and leaned in close as he instinctively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "Then don't."

And before he could assemble some sort of reply, Paige cut him off with a bruising kiss as her fingers clutched his thick, dark curls. He automatically moved his mouth with hers and kissed her as passionately as she was kissing him. And when he eventually pulled away, she leaned her forehead against his and held his face in her hands as he breathed in everything that was her.

"I made a mistake a few months ago, Paige." he whispered softly as he met her beautiful hazel eyes.

"I know," she mumbled and gently kissed his lips. "I did too."

Walter covered her hands with his and wrapped his fingers around hers without ever looking away from her. "Don't let me make that same mistake again."

She smiled and kissed him firmly on the mouth.

"I won't."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

Writing this was funnn! :)


	47. So Much For That

**WriterFreak001: **

Heehee. This was fun!

* * *

**Title** | So Much For That

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Prompt - Waige tells Ralph they're dating" by moonshinemonty on Tumblr

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**So Much For That**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"So... how should we tell him?" Paige mindlessly asked Walter as she slowly drew imaginary swirls over the short hairs gracing his chest before craning her neck and locking eyes with him. "How should we tell Ralph?"

"How about," Walter laughed as his fingers threaded through her matted hair, "Ralph, we're dating."

"I was hoping we'd make the reveal a little... I don't know... more magical?"

Walter cocked a brow. "Why?"

"Because," she lightly smacked his chest, "it's a big moment for us. We still haven't told the team yet, and because Ralph needs to be the first to know, it should be an important event. I think we should take him out to dinner and then ice cream and _then _slowly ease into the reveal."

"Sounds like a...," Walter was about to say 'waste of time,' but the glare his girlfriend was giving him quickly changed the course of his thoughts, and he ended up saying, "Sounds like a plan."

"Walter," Paige lightly caressed his face and angled his chin towards hers. "This is really important for us. Ralph's opinion of us matters in our relationship. I can't date a guy he doesn't approve of."

Walter knitted his brows. "You don't think Ralph approves of me?"

"No! No," Paige rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks, "I know he does. He adores you as much as I love you, and I know you adore him, too. But... I don't know," Paige bit her lip and snuggled closer to Walter, "I guess I'm nervous. I haven't seen anybody since Drew so... letting Ralph know about us... well, it's big for me."

Walter gave her a warm smile and linked his fingers with hers before bringing her palm to his lips. "If revealing our relationship to Ralph is that important to you, then it's important to me too." Seeing the smile coloring her face told him he had said something right so he continued. "However you want to tell him, I'm right there with you."

Paige grinned and pushed herself closer to his face before gently kissing his lips. "Thank you, Walter."

"Mhmm," he mumbled lowly, earning him another soft, chaste kiss.

"Let's take him out to dinner tonight," Paige muttered as she twisted herself around and climbed on top of Walter without ever leaving his lips. "It can be a formal dinner, too. Something... incredibly... nice,"

"Oh, I concur," Walter grunted as he wrapped his arms around her and brought her impossibly closer to him. And as her long, delicate fingers fluttered over his body, he let out a low grumbling moan.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"Ralph, honey, could you come here a minute?" Paige, though aching to hold Walter's hand or kiss him on the mouth as he stood dangerously close behind her, smiled as her son stopped playing Proton Arnold and swiftly approached her in the kitchen.

"What is it, Mom?" Ralph blinked as he noticed the way Walter was flexing his fingers behind his mother. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nope," Paige grinned and bent down to ruffle the boy's hair. "Everything is perfect."

"Then why did you need me?" Ralph lifted an eyebrow and then glanced at Walter as though the super genius was trying to tell him something.

"You and I are going out to dinner tonight," Paige poked the boy's chest, "And Walter is going to join us."

"Cool," Ralph grinned as Toby, Happy, Sylvester and Cabe walked into the garage and made their way to the center table. "Can't wait," the boy beamed as he started to make his way back to Proton Arnold.

"I'm surprised he didn't ask a lot of questions," Paige raised her eyebrows as she closely followed Walter towards his desk.

"Now that I think about it," Walter mumbled into her ear, "Ralph probably already knows."

"Well," Paige shivered from the closeness of Walter's voice and whispered, "If he _does _know, then he's very good at keeping it to himse-"

"Hey, Mom?"

Paige, without thinking, called out to him quickly. "What is it, honey?"

"Will Walter be spending the night again?"

Walter froze and Paige blanched as Toby grinned wickedly and muttered to Happy, "I'm always right about these things. Now," the shrink held out his hand as Walter and Paige exchanged panicked glances with one another, "pay up."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I had fun writing this one! :D


	48. The Start of Something Great

**WriterFreak001: **

This is perhaps one of my favorites!

* * *

**Title** | The Start of Something Great

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Walter asking Paige go in a date. I know we will see that but I can't wait." (requested by katrinvilela1994 on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**The Start of Something Great**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"You got this, Buddy," Toby grinned ear to ear and patted Walter's shoulder. "Just stick to the plan. Everything else will figure itself on its own."

"Plan. Right. Okay." Walter mumbled as he squeezed the bouquet of roses in his palm tightly. He blanched as Toby waltzed up to Paige's condo door to ring the doorbell. "Wait! What plan?!" Toby ignored the super genius and smirked as he pressed the little button to the right of the door. As Toby began to scram, Walter hissed at him loudly. "Toby! Toby! What's the plan?! What's the plan, Toby?! What's the pl-"

"Walter?" The door suddenly opened, and, as expected, Paige stepped into the hallway and lifted an eyebrow at the genius as he wheeled his eyes away from the Toby-less hallway and sheepishly looked at her, unable to remember what he was supposed to say. When he didn't say anything, she slowly approached him. "What are you doing here?"

"Uhhhh," Walter gulped and scratched the side of his face nervously. "I was in the area."

"Liar!" Toby hissed from around the corner, but Walter ignored him. Luckily, Paige didn't seem to have heard the shrink's outburst.

"I... I brought you flowers!" He exclaimed a little too loudly as he stepped forward and presented her the bouquet.

"I see that," Paige giggled as she relieved him from holding the roses and buried her nose into the soft, red petals. "They're lovely, Walter."

"Great," Walter clapped his hands together. "Glad you like them. I guess I'll be seeing you at work tomorrow." He wheeled around quickly without seeing her expression and walked swiftly towards the elevator.

"Oh no you don't!" Toby barked in a harsh whisper and shoved Walter back towards Paige the moment he tried to turn the corner. Walter stumbled forward but recovered quickly and rose to his feet as Paige cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Is... everything all right, Walter?"

"Of course," Walter nodded as he scratched the back of his head. "Why wouldn't it be?"

She shrugged. "I don't know... You're acting... weirder than usual."

"Oh, well," he cleared his throat and raked his fingers through his curly hair. "I assure you there's a good, logical...ish reason for that."

"Oh?"

Walter pressed his lips together and rocked on his heels as he flexed his fingers. "I... uh... I was wondering if you'd... um... if you'd like to e-eat me for dinner tonight." Her eyebrows lifted, and Toby smacked his head against the wall before Walter had realized his mistake. "That... didn't come out right."

Paige, understanding what he was _trying _to ask, smiled into the roses and giggled quietly. "I'd love to have dinner with you, Walter," she quietly answered as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"You would?!" Walter stepped closer to her, and she grinned ear to ear.

"Mhmm," Paige nodded happily as she tugged him into her condo. "But I can't tonight," she added while she reached for a vase on top of the fridge, then filled it with some water and dropped the roses into it. "I have no one to watch Ralph. His sitter is sick, and it wouldn't be fair to ask so last minute."

"He can come too," Walter said before thinking things through. "We can all go out to dinner."

Paige beamed almost instantly and out of sheer happiness, she pushed herself up on her toes and lightly kissed the corner of his mouth before whirling away from him and mentioning - somewhat singing - something about getting Ralph and herself ready to leave.

Walter, after the shock of Paige's kiss wore off, leaned against the counter and smiled to himself, realizing that this moment could be the start of something great in his life.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001:**

Now let's say it all together in unison: AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!


	49. Incentive

**WriterFreak001: **

This was fun to write! Hehehehe

* * *

**Title** | Incentive

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Ralph being the one to finally call out Waige on their "non-fraternization." (requested by aprild2874 on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Incentive**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Ralph couldn't take it anymore. He knew his mom liked, possibly even loved, Walter, and from the way Walter's breath stopped anytime she entered the garage, the boy was pretty certain Walter had feelings for his mom, too. He knew what would make both of them happy but didn't understand why they weren't acting on their feelings. If something was supposed to make them happy, then why were they making themselves miserable? What profit would being miserable gain? It didn't make sense to him. His mom always told him to strive for what makes him happiest so... why wasn't she doing the same? And Megan even told Walter - as her dying wish - to be happy too, but... he hasn't, as far as Ralph knew, done anything to heed his sister's wishes.

Ralph, for the sake of Scorpion's survival, had to do something.

He just _had _to do something; otherwise, no one would be happy.

**~ SCORPION ~**

"Mom?" Ralph strolled up to his mother and glanced towards the loft as Paige gave him her undivided attention.

"What is it, sweetie?"

Ralph shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Walter needs your help... He's trying to teach Ferret Bueller to run on a mini treadmill Happy built, but the ferret keeps biting him. He was hoping you would have more luck."

"Okay," Paige smiled and laughed. "Tell him I'll be up shortly."

Ralph nodded. "Okay."

**~ SCORPION ~**

Ralph wiggled his way into the loft and found Walter still struggling to keep Ferret Bueller on the treadmill. "Maybe he doesn't like it," the boy said quietly as he slowly walked up to Walter. "Or maybe he needs some sort of incentive."

"The idea," Walter chuckled as the ferret squirmed in his hands, "is to train him to use the treadmill as a pastime while no one is here to let him out. Since he likes to run so much, I figure he can use his time efficiently and exercise by himself."

"Does _he _know that?"

"He will," Walter nodded with confidence. Ferret Bueller, however, disagreed and bit Walter's finger again. "Ow!" He flicked the ferret's nose. "Stop that! You're supposed to be my pet!"

A soft giggle echoed inside the room and both geniuses turned to find Paige sauntering towards them. "Ralph wasn't kidding. You really _are _trying to train him to run a treadmill."

"It's a... work in progress, but Ferret Bueller is learning," Walter forced a proud grin as the ferret bit the skin between his thumb and forefinger, causing the super genius to free him. Ferret Bueller scurried over to Paige, and the woman chuckled as she picked him up and held him to her chest. Walter flung his hand to dispel the pain as Ralph watched them carefully.

"Looks like he doesn't like the thing," Paige smiled as Ferret Bueller nuzzled against her shoulder.

"That's exactly what I said," Ralph replied stoically as Paige stroked the ferret's head. "Walter's determined, though."

"Like I said," Walter scoffed, "it's a work in progress."

"Let me see what I can do," Paige grinned as she walked over to Walter and the mini treadmill as Ralph slowly observed the should-be couple. She knelt down in front of the exercising contraption and carefully placed Ferret Bueller on the track. "Be a good boy, and do as Walter says, okay?"

Walter cocked a brow. "Do you really think he understands what you're saying?"

"He might," she shrugged as she stretched her legs out and laid down on her stomach. "Tell him what you want him to do," she whispered to Walter.

Walter rolled his eyes and mumbled something about the definition of insanity before complying. "Run on the damn treadmill, you stupid ferret."

"Hey, be nice." Paige frowned. "No wonder he bites you."

"He bites everybody," Walter rolled his eyes.

"Not me." Paige said proudly.

"That's because," Walter cleared his throat, "That's because you have certain assets no one else has... well except for Happy, but... she doesn't like playing with the ferret."

Paige cocked a brow. "Oh? And what assets would those be?"

Walter flushed deeply and figured it was better to show her than tell her. "Stand on your hands and knees and lean towards the treadmill."

"What would that accomplish?" Paige pursed her lips and gazed directly into Walter's eyes.

"Just do it, and you'll see." Walter replied quickly, and without another word, the woman complied. Walter focused on the ferret and said monotonously, "Run, Bueller. Run." And, to Paige's surprise, the ferret, with his eyes trained on Paige, obeyed and started running. "Just like I thought."

Paige blinked and stared at the genius. "What do you mean by that?"

"I think Ferret Bueller has found his incentive," Ralph replied from the couch, giving Walter a knowing glance.

The genius scratched the side of his face, and picked up the ferret before handing him back to Paige. "Well, I think we've proven _one _thing today."

"And what's that?" Paige asked as Ferret Bueller dove his head down the front of her shirt and buried it between her breasts.

"Ferret Bueller is a pervert," Walter replied as he looked _anywhere _but at Paige.

Paige pulled the ferret's head out from where it didn't belong and said, "He does that a lot."

"I know," Walter replied before he could stop himself. "Hence the demonstration."

Paige laughed. "You didn't have to go through all of the theatrics to prove a point, Walter. You could have just... told me."

"That... would have been inappropriate." Walter muttered quietly, but his voice wasn't quiet enough for Ralph.

"Anyway," Paige paused to pull the ferret out of her cleavage again, "I guess I'm glad I could help... Don't know how this demonstration is going to help you with training him to run on the treadmill since I can't be here, flaunting my breasts, and on a case at the same time, but... I'm sure you can figure something out."

"Thanks for the assist, I guess, but... was there a reason you came up here?" Walter's eyebrows lifted as Paige kissed the ferret's little nose. "Did you need something?"

"You didn't... request for my help?"

"No..." He shook his head.

"But Ralph... he..." Paige then turned to look at her son, and Ralph simply shrugged.

"Figured Walter could use the help," Ralph smiled innocently. "Ferret Bueller obviously likes you better than he does Walter, but they both apparently - and for reasons I don't even _want _to understand - like your breasts." Paige blushed deeply from her son's observation, and Walter's eyes popped open. "How else would Walter know about Ferret Bueller's breast fetish unless he was looking, too?"

Both genius and liaison stared at Ralph, too stunned to speak.

"So in conclusion," Ralph continued, "Since Walter likes your breasts, Mom, and you can't seem to stop calling out his name at night, I think you two should stop this no fraternizing nonsense and just date each other." He watched them closely, and both of them slowly turned towards one another as the ferret tried diving into Paige's shirt again. "All right," he said quickly as he spun around and headed for the door, "I think my job here is done."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001:**

I can't stop laughing! X'D


	50. Irish Cream

**WriterFreak001: **

This… this was an interesting one….

* * *

**Title** | Irish Cream

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Happy and Paige having a girls night with Toby and Walter unknowingly following/eavesdropping." (requested by aprild2874 on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Irish Cream  
**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"So," Toby whispered as he and Walter trained their eyes on the loft, "What do you think they're doing up there?"

Walter shrugged. "Beats me... To be honest, I don't think I even want to know."

"I do," Toby smirked. "What if they're getting kinky up there?"

"I highly doubt it." Walter grimaced.

"How much are you willing to wager?"

"How much of your lifespan do you want Happy to take away?" Walter retorted, very well aware of the promise Toby made to Happy half a year ago.

"Damn," Toby muttered under his breath as Walter suppressed a grin and took a swig from his water.

They both heard a little beep before Happy's voice sounded on the intercom. _"So,"_ the woman giggled, _"now that we've discussed, in full detail, my love life, it's your turn, Paige."_ The mechanic uncharacteristically giggled again and took another gulp of whatever they were drinking up there. _"How much do you and Walt do the nasty each week?" _

Walter almost instantly spat out his water and coughed as Toby's eyebrows lifted.

Paige melodiously laughed and also drank something before speaking. _"Well," _she hiccupped, _"as of lately, we've been screwing each other senselessly almost every night." _

Walter froze as Toby grinned ear to ear, and the shrink whispered, "Pray, do tell, Miss Dineen."

As if on cue, the giddy woman continued. _"You might already know this,"_ she paused and laughed, _"Actually, you probably don't know this, but,"_ she lowered her voice to a loud whisper, _"despite what everyone says about my boyfriend, Walter is a god in bed. There is no competition." _

"Is that so, Miss Dineen?" Toby cracked his knuckles and leaned against his chair, "Tell us more."

"Shut up," Walter snapped. "We're not even supposed to be here let alone hear this. We should leave now."

"You can leave," Toby chuckled, "I'm staying."

Before Walter could say anything, Happy laughed over the intercom, and the mechanic gleefully said, _"Say what you want about your man, Paige, but,"_ she sipped her drink, _"you can't truly brag about how hot O'Brien is in bed until the two of you have done a 69. Now __**that's**__what I call heaven. And damn, I swear I orgasm more when Toby and I do a 69, then anything else. It's weird, I know, but for some reason, I just love having Toby's tongue inside me while his cock is in my mouth." _

It was now Toby's turn to spit out his soda as Walter scrunched up his face in disgust. Toby promptly rose from his chair and grabbed his hat. "I'm outta here. Time to go and see another movie."

"For once, I agree with you," Walter rose to his feet and grabbed his phone and wallet as they both paused and heard Paige's soft giggle over the system.

"_That's what I mean when I say Walter is a sex god, Happy," _Paige laughed before taking another sip of her drink, _"That man buries his tongue inside me more so than his fingers and his cock, but God, it's glorious, and I don't even care because I love sucking on his dick. He tastes so good."_

Happy laughed loudly. _"If he tastes that good, maybe you should start calling O'Brien, Irish Cream." _

Paige giggled and softly replied, "_I do..., and that's one of the very few pet names he sexually responds to. It's one of his favorites." _

Walter gulped as Toby cocked an eyebrow. "Irish Cream?"

"Repeat that name again, and you can consider yourself out of a job effective immediately," Walter said swiftly before grabbing his jacket and leading the shrink outside the garage. "Instead of a movie, let's just go to Kovelsky's for a coffee."

"Fine," Toby shrugged, "But thanks to your girlfriend's admission, all coffee shops have lost an Irish Cream coffee drinker, and if they have any complaints at all, I'm telling them the truth."

"You wouldn't dare," Walter glared at him, as the geniuses began walking towards Kovelsky's.

Toby blinked. "Okay. Fine. I'll just tell them you and your girlfriend have a fetish for Irish Cream Pies instead."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I have no idea how this story was formed… It just… was what came out. Either way, still funny, I guess.


	51. Busted

**WriterFreak001: **

Short but sweet. LIKE COTTON CANDY! :)

* * *

**Title** | Busted

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Waige + getting caught by the team sharing cotton candy at the end of (2x17)" (requested by scorpion-197 on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Busted**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"I saw what you and Paige were doing last night. Don't even try to deny it," Toby pursed his lips as he marched up to Walter and frowned perceptibly. "And just before you tried to force me and Happy to break up. Deeeespicable."

Walter cocked an eyebrow and blinked. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me, O'Brien," Toby rolled his eyes, "I saw the way you two were with that single cotton candy stick. You taking a bite, and then she taking a bite. Kind of hypocritical, don't you think?"

Walter swallowed thickly and then feigned confusion. "I still have no idea what you're talking about."

Toby tsked. "Makes me wonder what _other _things you've been doing in the shadows with _Miss Dineen_. Surely you wouldn't allow _one _romance and then condemn another."

Walter crossed his arms and leaned backwards. "I didn't condemn your relationship with Happy."

"You did at first," Toby replied stoically.

"But I don't now…. No matter how strange I still think it is." Walter lifted an eyebrow. "I still don't see why you're so upset."

Toby groaned and squinted his eyes at Walter. "I'm onto you, O'Brien. You and Miss Dineen might think you're being successfully sneaky, but it won't last for long." Toby whipped away from Walter's desk and headed for his own as Paige walked into the garage. Toby eyed Walter suspiciously as he stood up and approached the woman. Toby raced up to them and shoved his face towards Walter's and then moved it slowly towards Paige as they gave him strange looks. "You think you're sneaky," he scrunched up his nose, "But you're not."

Silently, Toby backed away from Walter and Paige and back peddled towards the kitchen where Happy was pouring some coffee. Paige's eye twitched, and then she glanced at Walter. "What the hell was that all about?"

Walter shrugged, feeling the cause of Toby's suspicion wasn't too important. "Dunno. Toby's crazy sometimes."

"Huh," Paige exhaled quietly as she folded her arms in front of her and bit her lip gently. "Strange."

"Indeed."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I really loved writing this one too!


	52. The 'Other' Kind

**WriterFreak001: **

I had fun! Note: This is written within the same universe as _Irish Cream _(chapter 50).

* * *

**Title** | The _Other _Kind

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Waige + trying to plan a vacation trip." (requested by kstarbear on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**The **_**Other **_**Kind**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Hawaii?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Too hot."

"You said that about the Bahamas and Key Largo, too."

"Well," Walter blinked, "I'm not wrong."

Paige sighed. "Okay... how about... New Zealand?"

"Absolutely not."

Paige pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "And why not New Zealand?"

"Remember that case? The one we had in New Zealand a few years ago?"

Paige suddenly grimaced. "Oh... Oh, God, no! Definitely not New Zealand." She shook herself to destroy all memories of that godforsaken case and forced herself to suppress them again. "Well... I haven't been to Thailand."

"Thailand's... probably not a good place to visit."

"Oh?" Paige seemed more intrigued than disappointed. "Why? Wait," she paused, "Do I even want to know?"

"For your safety? Probably not."

"Okay... well I guess Thailand is a no."

Walter, seeing the frustration in his fiancée's eyes, sat down next to her and closed the computer in her lap before picking it up and placing it on the table. Then he took her hands in his and smiled, "I know the perfect place."

"I've listed the best vacation spots in the world, and you complained that they were all too hot," Paige frowned. "What place could _possibly_be better than _Tahiti_?"

"Well," Walter squeezed her hand and chuckled, "You've always said you had wanted to know more about my Irish background so...let's go to Ireland."

"Ireland?"

"Ireland," he nodded with confidence. "I can show you where I grew up... take you to the best fields for stargazing... help you experience the true taste of an Irish Cream flavored drink... What do you think?"

"Depends...," Paige suddenly smirked as she angled her body towards him, "Which _kind _of Irish Cream are you talking about." She leaned closer and playfully walked her fingers up his shoulder. "The coffee kind or the," she pressed her lips to Walter's ear, "the _other _kind?"

Walter swallowed thickly. "B-both?"

Paige smirked. "Now you're talking."

"S-so it's decided then?" Walter's voice cracked as he marginally scooted towards the back of the sofa as Paige crawled on top of him.

Paige grinned and lowered her body onto his as she hooked her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. "Oh, definitely," she whispered before pressing a hard, bruising kiss against his mouth. "And since we're on topic," she purred as she lowered her palm down to the front of his jeans, "I have an Irish Cream craving right now."

Walter gulped. "The coffee kind or the... _other _kind?"

Paige giggled and slowly unzipped his front zipper. "The _other _kind."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Hehhhhh…..


	53. Water Fight

**WriterFreak001: **

Hehehe. Writing this was a blast. (Pun totally intended)

* * *

**Title** | Water Fight

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Tumblr Request: "Could you do a little short story about Walter and Paige getting into a water fight and then they kiss? :)" (requested by anonymous)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Water Fight**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"What're we doing up here?" Walter asked his girlfriend as she dragged him up the stairs to the roof the garage.

"You'll see," Paige softly sang as she squeezed his hand.

"Paige," Walter stopped walking and gave her a pointed look, "you know I don't like surprises."

"Trust me, Mr. O'Brien," Paige winked as she started walking up the steps again, "you'll like this one."

"How do you know?"

"Because," she placed her hand on the handle and smirked at him, "it involves us getting wet."

Walter gulped audibly as Paige visibly licked her lips. He inhaled a deep breath and braced himself for an afternoon of naughty things people really _shouldn't _do on rooftops before Paige pushed the door open and revealed two very large water guns resting on the table in the center of the terrace. Walter immediately shook the dirty thoughts out of his head and cocked an eyebrow at the woman retrieving the guns. "W-What's going on, Paige?"

"A few years ago I told you that you needed a little more silly in your life," Paige replied with a soft smile as she handed him one of the water guns. "We've had a stressful couple of weeks at work, and since things seem to be simmering down with the job we took earlier today, I figured we could use our downtime productively."

"With a water gun fight?"

Paige shrugged. "You could use some more fun in your life, babe. Might help take a load off, you know?"

"I have fun," Walter folded his arms and gave her a puzzling (but laced with amusement) look.

"Fun should me more than just having sex, Walter," Paige deadpanned as she lightly smacked his cheek. "Now prepare yourself. I happen to be a pro."

"Since when do you water gun?"

"Since I had a son who loves calculating trajectories," Paige laughed as she swiftly walked away from her boyfriend and aimed her weapon at him. "Prepare to meet your maker."

Walter fumbled with the water gun in his hands and, after steadying it in his hands, he targeted the nozzle at Paige, ready to fire. "Okay, I'm re-"

Suddenly, a blast of water shot Walter in the face, making him raise his water gun with one hand while trying to block the jet stream with the other. "That's not fair," He exclaimed over the purging water. "I thought we were going to count to three or something!"

Paige laughed loudly, "What's the fun in that?!" She approached him and pumped her water gun again before empowering her jet stream, aiming it at Walter's stomach. He angled his water gun lower to protect his stomach, but she aimed the water at his face again. He backed away from her and swiftly turned around, shivering as the cold water splashed his back. She continued spraying him for another minute, soaking him to the bone. To move easier, he peeled off his button-up as Paige continued spraying him (he had basically given up trying to stay dry at this point), and tossed it towards the door.

Then, to his delight, Paige's water gun pumped less and less, and he smirked. "Looks like you just ran out of ammo." He slowly picked up the water rifle he had temporarily placed behind him and propped it against his shoulder as he aimed it at Paige. "This particular situation reminds me all too well of Newton's Third Law of Motion."

Paige nervously laughed. "Oh?"

Walter nodded.

"A-and w-what's that?"

"Every action...," he grinned ear to ear as she dropped her water gun and gradually backed away from him. He matched her pace and approached her, still wearing his stupid, dorky, adorable Paige-fueled smirk on his lips. "... has," he pumped the gun as his voice grew playfully louder, "an EQUAL and," he started charging towards her and pulled the release, "OPPOSITE REACTION!"

Paige joyfully squealed and made a run for it as the water from Walter's rifle spayed her arms, back, and shoulders. Walter ran faster, and she tried switching directions on him, but he predicted her movement and showered her as powerful as she had showered him. At one point, she stopped running and turned to face him, bringing her hands to her face to block the jet stream, but he managed to calculate the best angle and distance to reach maximum efficacy.

He soaked every inch of her, and though she still tried to block the path of the water, her efforts were no match for Walter's determination. "I'll have you know," Walter advanced her with a smirk as he empowered his super soaker again. "You're not the only one Ralph has water gun fights with."

"Oh?"

Walter nodded swiftly. His eyes, then, were immediately trained on her black lacy bra adorning her breasts underneath her light pink, wet blouse. He gulped audibly as he suddenly thought of _other _ways to have more fun. The water gun dropped to the ground with a thud before Walter found himself pinning his girlfriend against the bricks and kissing her hard on the mouth. Her fingers threaded through his thick curls, grasping at them and clutching them as he haphazardly ran his hands all over her, craving more of her as her skin melted underneath his fingertips.

"Come, let's go back to the loft." Paige feathered kisses along Walter's jaw and pressed her lips to his ear as she wrapped her legs around his hips. "I want you to get me wet _for **real**_.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001:** Reviews are always appreciated. :)


	54. Insatiable

**WriterFreak001: **

Here's a little something to feed your monsters before Scorpion's episode tonight. :)

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**Title** | Insatiable

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Tumblr Request: "could you do a little fic of paige and walter getting caught in a seriously heated make out session (kind of like the first episode of season 2 satellite of love in the garage) by ralph and toby?" (requested by anonymous)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Insatiable**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

His mouth was on hers almost instantly after Toby and Ralph had left the garage for evening, and she stumbled backwards from the force of his bruising kiss, catching herself by gripping the edge of her desk (and knocking over a pile of case studies in the process). She didn't care, though. After the initial shock of Walter nearly jumping her the moment the door had closed behind Toby wore off, Paige plunged her fingers into the genius's thick, curly hair and passionately kissed him back.

Paige haphazardly walked Walter towards the couch without ever taking her lips off of his, and as the back of his legs smacked into cool leather, she swung her thighs around him, causing him to clumsily fall into the cushions. With her core pressing against his, she rocked hard against him, eliciting a quiet, low moan from the genius underneath her. Walter's hands tightly gripped her ass, bringing her impossibly closer to him, and she kissed him deeper as she slowly slithered her tongue against his.

Walter tipped his head back as another low moan escaped him and tickled Paige's throat. She eagerly glided her fingers from his unruly hair to the top button of his shirt and mindlessly loosened it before frantically unfastening the others. She eventually shrugged it off of his shoulders and then slipped her fingers underneath the hem of his white T-shirt. With a loud pop, she tore her lips off of his and and flashed him a sultry smile as her fingers, though concealed by his undershirt, slowly fluttered over his torso. She then brushed her thumbs over his small, round nipples and mindlessly licked her lips.

Walter gazed intently at her, and he automatically knew what she wanted. With his palms still firmly gripping her ass and her thighs still tightly wrapped around his hips, he abruptly rose to his feet and swiftly carried her to the stairs.

Paige pushed Walter's T-shirt upward and slid it over his head before dropping it to the ground. She then glided her pink blouse off of her and tossed it away from them before kissing Walter hard on the mouth as he continued walking them upstairs. Eager to feel his warm skin against hers, she absentmindedly unhooked her bra, stripped it off of her shoulders and flung it carelessly.

Oblivious to the world around them as they disappeared into the loft, they did not hear Toby and Ralph slipping through the entrance. After Toby raced in to grab his almost-forgotten hat, the shrink caught the young genius staring at the stairwell. Toby's eyes followed Ralph's shock and almost gasped at the sight of various discarded clothing hanging over the railing of the stairs - Paige's black, lacy bra, in particular.

Toby immediately covered Ralph's eyes and dragged him out of the garage. "I'm thinking we're going to need to see a double feature tonight. What do you say, Ralphy-boy?"

After a long moment of silence, the young genius turned to Toby and muttered, "Probably should make it a triple…"

"Good call."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **This wasn't exactly the same as the request, but I'm satisfied with it. (The title as a last minute decision, btw.)


	55. Under the Boardwalk

**WriterFreak001: **

I don't even know what this is…. This is probably one of my worst… but I had fun writing it regardless.

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**Title** | Under the Boardwalk

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Tumblr Request: "Prompt- Waige is driven to distraction by each other during a case" (requested by dancerjules14)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Under the Boardwalk**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"Quickly, quickly!" Walter exclaimed as he grabbed Paige's arm and jerked her away from the line of fire, pinning his body against hers to protect her from more flying bullets. They only had minutes before the army of assassins caught up to them, and he was determined to keep her safe at all costs.

"W-What do we do?!" Her voice wavered, and he swallowed thickly, unsure how to answer her. "There's nowhere to run!"

Suddenly, he had an idea. "Yes, there is." He touched his finger to his comm device and muttered, "Sly, if you hack into one of those speedboats about 3 miles from the pier, how long would it take for it to reach us?"

"_If it's going full throttle at approximately 80 knots per hour, which is, at best, 93 miles per hour, then it should reach the pier in about two minutes if the waters are calm." _

"The waters are calm," Walter hissed sharply without taking his eyes away from his girlfriend. "Can you hack into one of the boats or not?"

"_Of course I can, Walter, but why? What are you planning?" _

"Never mind what I'm planning, Sly! Once you've hacked into the boat, let me know immediately when you send it our way so I can keep track of it's speed over distance. And once it reaches the end of the pier, instantly change its course towards the middle of the Caribbean."

"_O-okay."_ Sylvester stammered. _"Give me a few seconds to ha-Oh, hey, I'm in!" He paused. "I-I've never driven a boat from a computer before... Quite frankly, I've never even driven a boat before." _

"_Move aside!" _Happy exclaimed from the comms. _"All right. The boat is in full throttle and is heading your way right now." _

"If this plan works," Walter mumbled, "our comms will most likely short out so once the boat is heading away from the pier, wait until dark to find us. I saw a shack a good thirty feet from the pier, and it looked abandoned. Paige and I will hide out there… assuming we survive the jump."

"What now?!" Paige exclaimed, and Walter immediately covered her mouth with his hand.

"We're taking out our comms now."

"_Be careful, Walt. You too, Paige." _Happy replied swiftly before Walter removed his listening device, prompting Paige to do the same.

He crushed them with his foot and directed his attention towards Paige. "We have approximately a minute and twenty-five seconds left before the speedboat arrives. Ten seconds before it approaches the pier, we're going to need to sprint down the boardwalk and jump into the water. The waters are calm so we don't need to worry about any rip tides, but be cautious anyway, just in case there are sharp rocks at the bottom. Once we resurface, we'll need to swim underneath the pier. If this plan works, then the assassins will think we stowed away in the speedboat and are leaving the country."

"And what if it doesn't w-work?"

"Don't think about that," Walter answered immediately. "It will work, Paige. It has to." He paused. "About forty-five seconds now."

"If we g-get out of this alive," Paige stuttered as she bravely took Walter's hands in hers and leaned closer to him, "Remind me to thank you."

"Do you trust me?"

Paige nodded. "Always."

"On my mark, sprint like hell, and just as you approach the end of the pier, streamline the impact with arms to the side, toes pointed."

"I can hear the speedboat."

"Good. It's on time." Walter whispered as he pushed himself away from Paige and said, "Ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four! Three! TWO! NOW GO!" As they heard the gunshots approaching them, they sprinted full speed towards the pier, somehow managing to dodge the bullets sent their way and leapt off of the boardwalk. Walter counted three seconds before hitting the water, and another three before he buoyed upward. Paige resurfaced a second after him, and he quietly gestured her to swim underneath the pier. They breaststroked their way to a post far enough away from the path of the speedboat and quietly clung to it as the assassins above shouted at each other.

A solid two minutes passed before they heard the assassins retreating, and when they couldn't hear footsteps anymore, Walter, whispered, "I think it worked."

Paige sighed. "Thank God."

"At least the water isn't too chilly. We should wait an additional twenty minutes out here before bobbing towards the shore. And once the water is shallow enough, we'll wait there for an additional twenty minutes to be sure we're safe, and if we _are _safe, we'll sprint for the shack."

"Sprinting will be hard in wet clothes."

"Which is why, before we swim towards shore, we'll need to strip down to our undergarments to alleviate unnecessary weight," Walter replied, but as the realization of his statement hit him, he gulped and cautiously looked at her. "Th-That won't be a problem, will it? I mean… it's not like I haven't seen you naked before…."

"It'll be fine, Walter."

"Okay," Walter nodded slowly; twenty minutes passed before he spoke again. "Okay. I the coast is clear."

"No pun intended," Paige muttered softly.

"Discard your clothes now. We'll use my belt to anchor them to the post. That way, they don't float away and give away our location in case there are any assassins still above." Walter said as he peeled off his shirt. Paige quietly agreed and unbuckled her jeans. She quickly kicked them off of her, reached down to grab them and then handed them to Walter before stripping off her white blouse. After Walter unbuckled his belt, shrugged out of his jeans and pinned their clothes to the post, motioned towards shore and whispered, "Come on." They slowly bobbed towards shore, using the pier posts as resting points if needed, and once Walter's shoes touched sand, he pulled Paige close to him, prompting her to stop swimming. "This is good enough. We can wait here for a while, and then I'll make sure it's safe to sprint for the shack."

"This is ending up to be a very strange day." Paige muttered as she pushed her wet hair away from her face.

"When have our cases ever not been strange?" Walter smirked, and Paige dramatically rolled her eyes.

"Well, I never expected to strip to my undergarments today," Paige teased as Walter shrugged.

"It was efficient."

"I know," Paige nodded as she wrapped her arms around the genius and rested her cheek against his chest. Walter instinctively held her against him as she mindlessly wrapped her legs around his hips. "I know this might be… awkward… being wet, and all… but… it's comfortable…."

"It's also efficient," Walter chuckled as he pinned her to him with his arms wrapping around her body.

"That too," she giggled quietly as she closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat. She stayed like that for twenty some odd minutes before Walter began to shift.

"Stay here," he uttered into her ear. "I'll let you know if it's okay to head for the shack."

Paige unhooked her limbs from around him and whispered, "Be safe."

"I will be."

"Walter," she grabbed his arm before he could get away.

"What is it?"

Without warning, she yanked on his elbow and crushed her mouth to his, unsure what else to do or say to encourage him to come back to her safely. Walter's fingers immediately clutched her hair as she gripped his cheeks to keep him from backing away from her. She caught his bottom lip with hers and sucked on it gently as he pinned her against the concrete post and kissed her harder. He then pushed his pelvis towards hers, and she moaned into his mouth from how hard he felt against her. He pushed against her again, and she just about lost her goddamn mind. For the sake of _both _their lives, she ripped her pulsing lips off of his with a popping sound. "Go," she hoarsely whispered, "and be safe, okay?"

"Okay," Walter nodded slowly as he started to back away from her but not before he softly kissed her again just in case it was goodbye for good. As he walked away from her, she leaned against the pier post and sighed, hoping she would have many more chances to kiss him again.

…

Several silent minutes passed before Walter returned, and after grabbing her hand, he said, "They're gone. We're safe to get to the shack."

"Okay," Paige nodded and swallowed thickly. "Are you sure it's abandoned?"

"No, but what other choice do we have?" Walter gave her a pointed look, and she shrugged. "We have a better chance surviving if we're hiding in there rather than out here."

"Okay."

Without another word, both genius and liaison waded out of the water and then dashed for the shack, grateful no one spotted them. Walter forced the door open, and they wormed their way inside before he slammed it closed and locked it.

"Now we wait," Walter mumbled as he turned around and found his girlfriend peeling off her undergarments. "W-what are you doing?"

"Take your boxers off. Our undergarments will have a better chance drying if we aren't wearing them." Paige replied mindlessly as she stepped out of her panties and draped them over a chair before unhooking her bra, setting it right next to her underwear. She then dragged the chair over to the window where the sun was shining through, and Walter, eventually, obeyed and removed his boxers as well.

"Now what?" Walter asked as he eyed his girlfriend suspiciously, and she smirked.

"Well…," she approached him slowly and bit her lip as she firmly wrapped her fingers around his length and then kissed him on the mouth. "I can think of a few ideas that'll buy us some time." She paused and then added, "There's even a bed in here, too."

"D-don't you think th-that's a little bit risky while we're on a case, though"

"Walter," Paige suddenly dropped to her knees and centered herself in front of him. "We have about six hours to wait…." She gently tugged on his member and flicked her tongue over its tip before looking up at him and whispering, "Let's make the most of them, okay? Besides, it'll be a good distraction and will help the time pass by."

He gulped audibly and nodded swiftly. "O-okay."

And the moment she started to slide her mouth over his shaft, there was a loud knocking on the door, forcing them to jump apart. "Hey, Walt! Paige! If you're in there," Toby exclaimed, "There's been a slight change of plans. We gotta boogie ASAP. The private plane won't wait forever."

Paige sighed as she pushed herself to her feet and walked over to their still very wet undergarments. She tossed Walter his boxers, and they dressed quickly before she grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself. She walked over to Walter and kissed him softly. "We can have our fun later, okay?"

"L-looking forward to it."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

I have no idea where this came from, and I know it probably felt rushed because I wrote it from 10 pm to 3 am in the morning, but I'm pretty satisfied with it.


	56. Senseless

**WriterFreak001: **

I have not posted to the Chronicles in a while!

After chapter 60, I am going to close this collection and start a new one. The title of the new collection will be something far more creative, haha. ;)

This fic was requested by thinkaboutme197; she wanted me to use a specific group of lyrics from Taylor Swift's song _Haunted_.

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**Title** | Senseless

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | "Paige," Tim's voice was surprisingly calm, "do you love Walter?" She closed her eyes and blinked back her tears as she slowly nodded, still unable to vocalize the feelings she had been suppressing for many long months. "Then why are you here and not with him?" Tumblr Request by thinkaboutme197.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Senseless**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Paige would be lying to herself if she said her trip to Tahoe with Tim was absolutely wonderful. Though she smiled when he smiled, and she laughed when he laughed, her heart didn't feel complete. Tim was a good guy, _great _even, but… he wasn't _him_. He wasn't Walter. He wasn't the man she loved.

And the man she loved had chased after her, had driven, nonstop, for eight hours just to find her and tell her how much he loved her. He loved her. Walter O'Brien loved her, and he wanted to be with her and have a romantic relationship with her, and she loved him, she loved him with all of her heart, so why was it so difficult to say the words to him when she had been waiting months for him to tell her how he felt?

Now he was gone.

When she didn't speak, when she didn't move and didn't respond to him, her world fell apart as he apologized for being such a fool. She tried to reaching for him, calling his name out as he whirled around and bolted for the door, but she couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe.

Walter O'Brien loved her.

And she couldn't even tell him she loved him back.

She was such an idiot.

"Mind telling me what's going on between you and O'Brien?" Tim suddenly asked as he entered the hotel room, carrying a bucket of ice in his arms. "I saw Walter, and he didn't look so hot. Why was he here? Did something happen with Toby? Is Ralph okay?"

"Ralph and Toby are fine," was all Paige said as she stared out the window and watched a happy family exit their car and head towards the hotel entrance.

"Then why was Walter here?"

Paige didn't answer.

"Paige?"

"He…," she felt like she was choking as her eyes swelled with tears, "he came here to tell me he loved me."

"Oh," Tim was clearly disappointed, but he suppressed his distress and forced a kind smile as he slowly approached her. "Do you… do you love him?"

Paige inhaled a deep breath and hiccupped as her heart tangled deep within her throat, but she didn't answer Tim.

"Paige," Tim's voice was surprisingly calm, "do you love Walter?"

She closed her eyes and blinked back her tears as she slowly nodded, still unable to vocalize the feelings she had been suppressing for many long months.

"Then why are you here and not with him?" Paige's eyes widened as she let out a tiny gasp. She whipped around and found Tim's supportive smile. "Go. You should be with him."

"But… what about…"

"The Jazz festival?" Tim lightly chuckled, and Paige nodded slowly. "Don't worry about me. I'm a big boy and can handle a little heartbreak. I may love jazz, and may be a little disappointed that I'm going to miss it, but Walter gave the tickets to you, and I have a feeling he didn't give them to you so you could go with me. So… you two should be the ones going to the jazz festival, not you and me." He pulled the tickets out of his wallet and handed them to Paige. "Go chase after him, Paige."

"Y-You're not mad?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "My ego may be a little damaged, but I'm not mad. I like you, Paige, but Walter… he… he loves you, and I've suspected your feelings for him for a while now, and in all honesty, I was very surprised when you told me he gave you the tickets for us. I almost didn't believe it." Tim touched Paige's shoulder and winked at her. "The last few weeks have been fun, but I think it's best you and I stay friends. I don't want to stand in the way of Walter's or your unhappiness. Both of your respects matter a lot to me. So go, Paige. Chase after him before it's too late."

Paige's heart suddenly soared, and without a word, she frantically grabbed her suitcase, slung it over her shoulder and bolted out of the hotel room as Tim popped his head into the hallway and shouted, "You're welcome!"

…

Paige almost tripped, multiple times, as she bulldozed her way down the hotel stairs, knowing the elevator would take too long of a wait for where she wanted to be. She tried calling him, but he didn't answer. She cursed loudly as she pushed her way passed other visitors, and she shoved the double doors open, hoping to still see his car in the parking lot.

And there he was, leaning against the side of his car, arms folded against his chest, head bowed in deep thought. She slowed her running until she was a few feet from him and breathed his name softly as she huffed for air. She had never ran so fast except for the time when Ralph was six, standing in the middle of a street, looking up at the sky, unaware of the world around him as a careless driver on his cellphone headed straight for him. When Walter didn't turn to look at her, she spoke his name again, louder and with more conviction.

His eyes widened with recognition, but he didn't look at her. She took a step towards him, and he mindlessly shifted away from her as though he was trying to create as much distance from her as he could. She flinched from his reaction, but she only had herself to blame.

"You… You didn't leave," was the first thing that she said, the first thing she realized, the first thing that surprised her when she found him still in the parking lot.

He slowly found her eyes, and she inwardly gasped. Had he… had he been crying? "The last time," his voice was cold and robotic, "I drove when I was emotionally exposed, I almost died. I refuse to make the same mistake twice." He gave her a quick onceover and then flicked his eyes towards the gravel. "Did you come here to tell me to leave? To tell me I ruined your vacation with… _him_?"

"No," Paige shook her head and took another slow step towards him.

"Then why are you here?"

"I love you, too," Paige said without hesitation as she bravely grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I love you, Walter. I… I love you." He immediately looked at her, but his cold stare seemed unaffected so she felt it was best to explain herself. "I've loved you for months, and… for a while, I thought you felt the same way. I was willing to be patient for you and wait until _you _were ready to be with me, but then you start dating other women, and… what I thought," her nose burned as he straightened his back and angled himself towards her, "didn't seem to matter anymore. I know… I know I was just… being tough and supportive, but… it hurt to see you with other women… so I tried closing off my feelings for you and moving on with Tim, but my love for you continued to grow stronger, and it began to overwhelm me.

"And… And when you…," she paused and inhaled a shaky breath as tears dripped from her lashes, "and when you gave me those tickets, I thought… maybe… maybe after all of this time, you were going to give us a chance, and my heart leapt for joy, but then you… then you m-mentioned Tim, and everything I felt, the joy, the happiness, the sense of completeness dissipated in seconds." She pinned her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes glimmered with tears. "And even then… even when I had almost given up hope, I gave you another chance to stop me from going to Tahoe with Tim, but you didn't…, and my heart broke. I didn't think you wanted to be with me anymore so when you came here and… and told me that you loved me, I was too shocked, and all of those feelings I felt for you came flooding back, and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't speak, I couldn't think… Everything I felt for you just came rushing back, and I was too overwhelmed…. Th-then you left…, and I thought I was too late."

Walter blinked, unsure what to do or say. He understood the feeling of being overwhelmed more than anyone, and he felt incredibly foolish for not giving Paige a chance to process what took him months to realize. But, instead of voicing his guilt, he glanced at her trembling lips and then gazed into her eyes as he tried to study her. "But now you're here."

Her plump lips curled to a small smile as her hands glided up his arms and slid over his shoulders. "Now I'm here."

"W-What about Tim?" Walter's palms gripped her hips, and she carefully leaned against him and pressed a light kiss against his chest. "He… He really seemed to like you… and he seems to make you happy."

Paige closed her eyes and inhaled the lovely, metallic scent of his button-up shirt as she muttered, "Tim's a great guy, and he's really sweet, and he tries to take away my pain… my heartache… and sometimes makes me smile, but…," she arched slightly to meet his burning gaze, "to be honest," she brought her hands to his face and caressed his cheeks gently as her thumbs strummed over his lips, "the whole time I was with him," she licked her lips, "I was wishing you were him instead."

Walter's lips parted slightly as her long lashes fluttered like tiny butterflies swarming in her stomach. Bravely, she pushed up on her tiptoes and strung her arms around his neck, as his arms tightly encircled around her. She slowly leaned in and touched her nose to his, careful not to overwhelm him with too much, and breathily whispered, "I really, really do love you, Walter O'Brien."

And then there was no space between them as Walter leaned forward and captured her lips in a bruising kiss. His hands splayed across her back, pressing her firmly against him, as her fingers clumsily grasped at his curls. Walter angled them towards his car and pinned Paige against the side door as he towered over her, making her completely weak in the knees. She could feel him suddenly everywhere, his hands moving frantically and randomly from the middle of her back to her shoulders, her arms, her hips, her waist, her neck, her face, anywhere and everywhere he could touch as she swallowed his low, sexy grunts.

He tore his lips off of hers with a pop, but he didn't move too far away from her, and she stayed still, not wanting to move away from him. He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes as she inhaled his warm breath breathing in sync with hers. Her eyelids drooped closed, and she focused solely on Walter being in her arms, holding her close, existing only with her. He lightly pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly and lovingly before he inched away from her as a warm smile found his lips and reached his eyes as the words he said before flowed easily from him again. "I love you, too, Paige."

He loved her.

He really, really loved her, and he wasn't afraid to admit it anymore.

His admission was more solid than any fact he had ever known.

And Paige couldn't help but smile back and kiss him senselessly all over again.

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

I really loved writing this one shot! :)


	57. Ferret Bueller's Day Off

**WriterFreak001: **

It's been a while since I've posted anything to the Chronicles so here's something fun(ish) to quench your thirst! :D

PS. I wasn't sure which angle to take this story at first, but I decided to go for a more humorous one. Plus, this scene / short story is after the appointment.

* * *

**Title** | Ferret Bueller's Day Off

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Tumblr Request: "Waige with sick Ferret Bueller at the vet's office" (requested by KStarBear).

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Ferret Bueller's Day Off**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"I can't believe you insisted on bringing Ferret Bueller to the vet. He's not the one in undeniable pain," Walter grumbled as Paige cradled said ferret against her bosom.

"You'll live, Walter," Paige rolled her eyes before placing a soft kiss on top of the ferret's head. "Ferret Bueller's been out of sorts ever since you stepped on his tail early this morning. I heard the screech, Walter. Obviously you did more damage to his tail than you think you did. Otherwise, he would be feeling better by now. We're lucky all we have is a sore-tailed ferret on our hands."

"Well, if you ask me, I think he deserved it," Walter frowned, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "And we shouldn't have taken him to the vet, we should be taking _me _to the hospital. I'm the victim here."

Paige tried her hardest not to smile, but her boyfriend's pouty face was too adorable not to react to. "Puh-lease, Walter," she bumped her shoulder to his, "I've seen you escape exploding buildings practically unscathed. Accidentally tripping on a ferret in the shower is not going to kill you. Sure, you may be sore for a few days, but you've been through worse."

Walter looked at her incredulously. "He… He saw me naked!"

"So have I," Paige giggled as she stroked the ferret's head with two of her fingers. "I don't see why you're so bothered by this, Walter. Ferret Bueller's seen me naked more times than I can count. Sure, he's never escaped his cage and snuck into the shower while I was in there, but then again, I don't forget to lock his cage."

"So you're saying all of this is my fault."

"Oh, totally," Paige laughed and gently squeezed her boyfriend's leg. "If you didn't forget to latch his cage, he wouldn't have escaped. Ergo, he wouldn't have surprised you in the shower, and you wouldn't have tripped on him and fallen on your ass. You know what they say, what comes around, goes around."

"He's lucky I didn't pick him up and toss him as far as I could throw," Walter muttered under his breath, causing Paige to laugh even more. After he pulled into the alley next to the garage and parked his car, he turned towards Paige and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I still don't see why he needed to see a vet. She said he would be fine in a few days."

"You of all people should know that any damage to a ferret's tale could harm the ferret's spinal cord. It's better to be safe than sorry," Paige said as she gave her boyfriend a small smile. "Aren't you glad he's okay?"

"Yes, but, still. Nothing time wouldn't cure." Walter shrugged, and Paige casually rolled her eyes again. Walter didn't fail to notice her disappointment and quickly added, "But… if something was seriously wrong with Ferret Bueller, I wouldn't think twice about taking him to see a veterinarian."

Paige smiled softly and, while clutching Ferret Bueller to her chest, leaned up to press a brief kiss to Walter's cheek. "You have to admit, though," Paige withdrew from him and pushed open the car door, "the whole scenario is actually pretty funny – especially how I found you when I walked in to see if you were all right."

"It's not funny," Walter mumbled stoically, unable to find the incident humorous.

"Come on, Walter," Paige lightly punched him playfully, "how often does someone get to say they tripped on their pet ferret while singing in the shower?"

"I wasn't singing."

"Okay, humming."

"I wasn't humming."

"Want to bet?" Paige cocked an eyebrow and whipped out her phone. "I audio recorded the entire thing."

"You did _what_?!"

Paige grinned deviously. "I was surprised to hear you humming while showering so I wanted to record it for safe keeping in case it never happens again… Did not know Ferret Bueller was going to intervene."

"I don't know which is more of an invasion," Walter grumbled noncommittally. "You audio recording me while showering or the ferret seeing me naked."

Paige giggled softly and stepped out of the car before circling around to open up his car door. "And how many times have you recorded _me _singing in the shower?"

Walter paused to think of a counter argument but couldn't think of one. "Fair enough."

"Exactly, now come on," Paige turned towards the garage, "after I put Ferret Bueller back into his cage, I'll start a hot bath for you. The warm water should feel good on your sore muscles."

"I don't need a bath," Walter mumbled as he slowly climbed out of his car and then closed the door, following Paige inside the garage before collapsing onto the red couch and closing his eyes. "I just need to lie down and rest… That sounds good right now."

Paige, after locking Ferret Bueller into his cage, whirled around and gave Walter a challenging expression. "So you'd rather lie down and rest instead of bathing with me?"

Walter's left eye popped open. "You never said I'd be bathing with you."

"I'm saying it now." Paige crossed her arms in front of her and forced a sigh as she started to turn away from him. "But you're totally right. You _should _rest. With the amount of pain you seem to be having, I doubt you can even make it up the stairs. I'll just… I'll just bathe by myself, then. More hot water for me."

As she turned towards the stairs and started for the loft, she slowly smirked as she heard Walter rise to his feet. "Well, what do you know," he practically sprung towards the stairs towards Paige, "I'm feeling better already."

Paige wickedly grinned.

"Good."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I had a lot of fun writing this one. :D


	58. What on Earth Are You Doing, Now?

**WriterFreak001: **

I asked for simple prompts on Tumblr while my computer is in the shop, so here is the first one. My mom is letting me borrow her computer for "work" related things. Heh...

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**Title** | What on Earth Are You Doing, Now?

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | Tumblr Request: "Waige + "What on Earth are you doing now?" (Requested by happyquinntobycurtis on Tumblr.)

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K+.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**What on Earth Are You Doing, Now?**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ SCORPION ~**

She had been standing quietly in the kitchen, living inside her own world for a while now before a pair of strong arms wrapped around her middle, pressing her against its strong body, immediately bringing her out of her daze. She covered the rough, protective hands with hers and leaned backwards, tipping her head back to find dark brown eyes gazing at her lovingly.

Lips found her skin and peppered kisses gently down her neck, and she shivered from their tickling touch. "What on earth are you doing now," she asked almost impassively, and a low chuckle resonated against her throat.

"I love you," was all her husband said before returning to the task at hand.

She frowned. "Walter, I am serious. *This* is serious."

Walter touched his forehead to Paige's shoulder and sighed quietly. "I know it's serious, love, but it is a *good* thing. I thought you would be happy about it."

"I am," Paige spun slowly in his arms and strung her hands around Walter's neck. "I am, really, I am." She flashed him a small smile before it faded. "I'm just… Scared."

"And I'm not?" Walter laughed softly. "Paige, I'm terrified." He bent down slightly to kiss her forehead. "But like everything, we will find a way."

Paige slid her arms down to the middle of Walter's back and leaned forward, embracing her husband carefully as he kissed the top of her head. He tightened his arms around her again and she lifted her head slightly to find him staring at her again. She cupped his cheeks and tugged him downward for a gentle kiss and whispered, "I love you too."

"I know," he smiled, kissing her again. "I know."

She twisted back around and leaned her back against his torso as she picked up the thin, glossy 3x5 picture and held it out in front of both of them.

"I still can't believe it…."

"Neither can I."

"But the proof is here…"

"Yes… Yes, it is."

Paige inhaled a deep breath and sighed softly. "Wow," she traced over the outlines of the photo. "Twins…"

"Yep… Twins."

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001:**

I know it is short, but it's hard to write long fics on the phone. :/

Please let me know what you think, regardless!


	59. Mini Tumblr Prompt Collection

**WriterFreak001: **

This chapter will be a collection of short stories I wrote from several Tumblr quote prompts so you may have read all of them already.

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**Prompt #1: "Do you ever think we should just stop this?" by Scorpionnumber1**

"Do you ever think we should just… stop this?"

"Stop what?"

"Stop sneaking around," Paige shrugged as she approached the kitchen of the loft where Walter was making them an early morning brew of coffee and some breakfast. Paige then turned towards the cot in the corner and smiled at her sleeping son before accepting the mug Walter was holding for her. She took a sip and absentmindedly placed it down on the counter next to the intercom mic. She leaned against the island, her arms resting on the marble behind her, and she continued as he stopped everything he was doing to give her his undivided attention. (Something she loved most about him).

"We've been together for a few months now, and I know we both wanted a bit of privacy before letting everyone know about us, but…," she pushed away from the counter and took his hands in hers, squeezing them gently. "Aren't you tired of pretending we're still mad at each other? I mean… I don't want to sound like I'm desperate or anything, but… wouldn't it be nice to just… make out whenever we want or hold hands during the work day or even sneak away from the group without leaving at separate times or lying about it?"

"I don't mind telling everyone we're dating… I mean, it's been four months…. To be honest, I would have been fine if we had told the team about us even after one month." He paused. "The only reason I didn't tell anyone is because I thought you wanted us to be a secret."

Paige giggled with a colorful smile. "Oh, after one month, I was more than ready to tell the team. I just thought _you _weren't ready yet. I mean, I don't regret dragging you to the darker parts of the garage and slam-kissing you against the wall, but it _would _be nice to pop a kiss on your mouth in front of the team every once in a while."

"Happy loves slam-kissing me in the garage too," a cheerful voice chimed from the speaker behind Paige, causing both genius and liaison to jump. " You should try it against the piano some time. Such a wonderful experi-YOWCH!"

"Shut up, you moron!" came Happy's distant reply, but before another word was spoken from the intercom, Walter reached over Paige and switched it off.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

"Well," Paige eventually smirked, "Look at the bright side to this," she leaned forward and pecked Walter's lips once. Twice. "Now we can kiss _whenever we want_."

Walter gulped and flashed her a nervous smile. "L-looking forward t-to it."

Dear God. He was in trouble.

* * *

**Prompt #2: "You can't protect me." (Paige &amp; Ralph) by smithren**

"You can't protect me."

Paige looked at her son with complete surprise but then smiled as she dropped down and wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace. "I'm your mother. I'll always want to protect you."

"I know, but," Ralph inhaled a deep breath and softly released it through his nose. "It's gotta happen sometime."

"Yes, yes," Paige nodded slowly as she pressed a kiss to her son's temple. "You're right, it does." She paused briefly. "But you _don't _have to go if you don't want to. There will be other opportunities."

Before anything was said, both mother and son turned their attentions to Drew who was leaning against the wall next to the entrance to the waiting room, and then they looked at Walter. The genius only gave Ralph a small, encouraging smile and an approving nod.

Ralph then turned to Paige. "Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Hold my hand please? I don't want to meet my new half sister alone."

Paige smiled and kissed her son's crown. "Of course, baby. Anything you want."

* * *

**Prompt #3: "Should we stop doing this?" (Toby &amp; Ralph) by smithren**

"Should we stop doing this?"

"That depends," Toby thought for a moment, "Do you want your mom and Walter together or not?"

Ralph nodded firmly. "You're right. We can't stop now. We've only just begun." The preteen helped Toby lift the hood to Tim's sports car and then propped it up. "But…," Ralph looked into the engine and then turned towards Toby. "Shouldn't Happy be the one doing this? She's the mechanic, after all."

"I have Happy working on something else," Toby chuckled as he slipped on a pair of rubber gloves. "All we're going to do is remove the ignition module so that Tim won't be able to go to the gala tonight with Paige."

"But he could always call for a taxi…, or Mom could pick him up."

"And _that_, my friend," Toby grinned ear to ear, "is why I swiped his phone off of him earlier today." Toby paused as Ralph smirked. "And when poor Tim can't make it, Walter and Paige will have no choice but to pretend to be a couple tonight, and once that happens, them slow-dancing together should remind them of the sparks between them, and HOPEFULLY Tim will realize that Walter and Paige are meant to be."

"Hopefully," Ralph nodded in agreement. "By the way, if all we're doing is removing the ignition module, then why am I here?"

"Because," Toby forced a chuckle before his face turned very serious. "I have no idea where the ignition module is."

* * *

**Prompt #4: "I did a pregnancy test." by andamesmyers**

"I did a pregnancy test…."

Walter stopped massaging her stomach as Paige turned in his embrace, and she patiently waited for his reply, her eyes focusing on their fingers as they intertwined."I didn't realize you thought you were expecting."

"I've gained a little bit of weight over the past few weeks and have been feeling a little dizzy… So I bought a kit the other day and did a test."

"And?"

"Negative."

"Oh," came his first reply. "Were you hoping you _were _pregnant?"

Paige shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe? What about you?" She flicked her eyes towards him and slowly licked her lips. "Did you _want _me to be pregnant? You seemed a little disappointed a few seconds ago."

Walter pursed his lips and thought carefully about his response. His palm started rubbing circles over her stomach again, just under her navel. He leaned forward and softly kissed her shoulder before speaking. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't."

Paige blinked with surprise. "So… you do want kids? Kids of your own?"

There was a brief silence, and then, a very quiet response.

"Yes."

* * *

**Prompt #5: "Can I kiss you?" by nono015**

"Can I kiss you?"

"Ex-Excuse me?" Walter's eyes popped open as he gave Paige an uncertain look. "W-Whyyy?"

"Because," Paige twisted the flier in her hands and leaned towards his ear, "we're supposed to be a couple at a couple's event, but other than our chemistry," she hissed a little louder, "we aren't acting very couple-y."

"So you want to kiss me to validate our story," Walter muttered more to himself than to her, but she nodded anyway. "Okay," he pursed his lips for a second. "How deep of a k-kiss?"

"As deep as you want it," Paige chuckled as her arms encircled around his neck. "So? Can I?"

Walter shrugged. "I guess. If it'll help us blend in more, then go for it. Just one question though."

"What?"

He gave her a very serious look. "Tongue or no tongue?"

"Come here," Paige said as she rolled her eyes and jerked him down to her, closing the small distance between them..

Best undercover assignment ever.

* * *

**Prompt #6: "I'm flirting with you." by nono015**

"I'm flirting with you," Walter said in a low voice as he passed her on his way to his desk. Paige blinked with confusion and then looked at Walter.

"What did you say?"

"For the mission," Walter replied instantly. "I just wanted you to know that I'll be the one flirting with you in the cafe instead of Tim. Cabe needs him elsewhere for the case."

"Walter," Paige cocked an eyebrow. "You don't really know _how _to flirt. Remember that fiasco with Sima several years ago? Yeah, not pretty."

"Which is why I'm coming to you…," Walter folded his hands behind him and gave her a small grin. "D-Do you mind giving me another lesson for tonight?"

Paige slowly smiled.

"Not at all."

* * *

**Prompt #7: "You came back." by those18minutestares **

**_note: an alternate ending to 2x24_**

He only drove 30 miles outside of Los Angeles when he realized he was being an idiot. There was no way a woman like Paige could ever love a weirdo like him. It was a ridiculous fantasy, something only born from fairy tales. After she left for Tahoe with another man, how could he expect her to return his feelings? If she loved him, if she _actually _loved him as much as he loved her, she would have stayed…, wouldn't she?

He frowned and clenched his fists as he stared at the wall. Why didn't she stay?

It was then that he realized she had tried offering to stay, but he had encouraged her to go any way.

He groaned loudly and leaned back in his leather computer chair, his full attention on the dull ceiling.

He was such an idiot.

And then the door swung open with a loud creak, and the very woman he had been sulking about slipped inside before gently closing the door behind her. He stared at her with wide eyes, but she didn't make a sound. She just stood there with eyes on him and her arms folded behind her back.

Oh great. Now he fantasizing about her. As if this torture couldn't be any wor– she was crying? Why was she crying?

He rose to his feet and circled around the desk, never looking away from her. And when he saw her luggage beside her, he somehow knew he wasn't dreaming. She was _actually _there. "You came back."

She inhaled a deep breath and quickly dabbed her eyes with her fingers before flashing him a smile. "I couldn't… I couldn't go through with it…." She took a step towards him. "Walter," she withdrew a shaky breath. "You are an idiot."

"Yes, I know."

"A big, colossal idiot."

"A very accurate statement," he agreed, suddenly finding himself walking closer to her. "I shouldn't have encouraged you to go…. That was a big mistake."

"Damn straight," Paige nodded, mindlessly stringing her arms around his neck. She leaned into him as he instinctively locked his fingers together over the small of her back. As her fingertips buried themselves into his curls and lightly scratched his scalp, she inched closer to him and whispered, "What're you going to do about it?"

A sudden wave of courage and confidence washed over him as she drew back and licked her lips, and he couldn't help but smirk. He leaned forward and stopped just short of her glossy mouth before muttering, "Don't pretend you don't know."

Before she could respond, Walter closed the small space between them and kissed her deeply - something she thought would never happen again.

Thank God it did, though.

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I hope you enjoyed these little ficlets. :) One more chapter to go before I close the "Waige Chronicles" and open a sequel collection series.


	60. Protecting Her Heart

**WriterFreak001: **

I have finally figured out how to start _Worth _5, so I'll work on that Saturday during my limited free time. It should be out Saturday night. :) This story briefly plays off of the second sneak peek for 3x03 so before you read this story, I highly encourage you to watch it first.

For now, enjoy a one-shot.

* * *

**Title** | Protecting Her Heart

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | This isn't a request. Walter and Tim have their differences in opinion when it comes to Paige, and when Walter finds out Tim has neglected to tell Paige something very important, he decides to intervene. Tim _miiiight _seem a little OOC, but because of his aggressive-possessive jealousy trait displayed in the premiere, I wouldn't be surprised if he's a bit more of a hothead than we give him credit for.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T.

* * *

**Protecting Her Heart**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

Walter loved Paige so much, it was physically painful to watch her interact with the interloper, and he was going out of his mind avoiding them at every cost. He promised he would stop trying to control Paige's personal life, but goddamn, he didn't think it would be so difficult and excruciatingly exhausting. If they weren't whispering sweet nothings in the kitchen while pouring coffee or making Ralph breakfast, they were giving each other googoo eyes across the office, and if Walter wasn't trying to be on his best behavior, he would vomit, repeatedly, in front of them.

But _even though _he swore he wouldn't sabotage their unsettling relationship, he still made an effort to remind Paige – and _only _Paige – he was there and wasn't going away. He still brewed the morning coffee with cinnamon (a bonus because Tim absolutely _hates _the taste of cinnamon), he still used a lavender diffuser in the loft (because he overheard Tim telling Paige he had a fragrance sensitivity before asking her to use a scentless hand cream), and he often offered to look after Ralph during her date nights with Tim (because he was afraid he would eventually lose his relationship with Ralph if anything ever became even more serious between the boy's mother and the interloper).

He couldn't fathom what his life would be like without Paige and Ralph, and if he hadn't made that promise to Cabe about not intervening, he would have done everything possible to separate Paige from Mr. Perfect for five minutes just to tell her how he felt and how he was scared of losing her and Ralph altogether.

Walter frowned and clenched his fists as he watched Tim briefly hug Paige. Ugh. Hurling was a far more pleasant experience. Not wanting to watch Paige and the Ken doll make annoying conversation, he picked up his coffee mug, his breakfast plate and his phone, making a mad dash up the stairs to the loft.

And for the next ten minutes, everything was much, much better. There were no dealings with the Interloper, no psychobabble from the Shrink, no mallet pounding by the mechanic, no yelling from Cabe and no giggles from Sly's newest Super Fun Guy toy. He was able to eat his breakfast in peace, and he was grateful nobody interrupted his peace and quiet. Something he was needing a lot, these days.

After checking his phone for any new texts, Walter picked up his plate and coffee mug and placed them in the sink of his tiny kitchen before making his way back to his computer to check his email. As soon as he hit the SEND/RECEIVE button, four new emails popped up in his inbox.

"Invoice from the Pentagon…," Walter mumbled mindlessly. "That goes to Paige…," he sighed as he forwarded the email. He read the next email subject. "Invoice from Fort Knox…" he frowned. "Another one?"

"Another what?" Walter nearly jumped out of his chair as Paige's beautiful, ringing voice filled the loft. He bumped his knees against his keyboard tray and slammed back down into his computer chair as Paige giggled a little. "Sorry," she apologized, and he immediately accepted it with an acknowledging nod. She cocked her head a little, her lips almost bursting into a smile as she smirked. "Another one, _what_?"

"Oh, um," Walter cleared his throat and swallowed thickly as she slowly rolled her lower lip underneath her teeth. His skin grew hot and prickly. What did she ask again? "Um… Uh…," he then glanced at his computer screen to compose himself. "Oh!" He slammed the butt of his left fist against his right palm. "We got another invoice from Fort Knox. I thought you sent it to Homeland to cover the expenses."

"I did," she nodded with confidence, "A few weeks ago, actually."

"Then why would they be sending us another one?" Walter muttered more to himself then to Paige, but she responded anyway.

"Not sure, but I'll call Katherine to confirm. Maybe the invoice was lost in the mail or something," Paige started to turn away, but Walter called out her name before could stop himself. Her eyes met his again, and she licked her upper lip. "Yes?"

"Um…," Walter loosened his tie, "Were you here for anything… particular?" Maybe he sounded a bit too hopeful, but at this point, he didn't even care.

"Nope," she shook her head and gave him a small smile. "Just checking up on you. That's all."

"Oh," came his quiet reply.

Paige shoved her hands into her pockets and gave the genius a little shrug. "I noticed you weren't downstairs like you usually were so I just came up here to see if everything was all right. Now that I know you're just up here working on something, I'll go back downstairs and leave you alone so you can keep working peacefully."

Walter gripped the armrests of his chair and abruptly pushed himself upward. "Y-You don't have to leave." He immediately circled around his desk and approached her swiftly, stopping just shy of a foot in front of her. "I mean," he scratched the back of his crown, "If you w-want some peace and quiet, too, y-you can stay up here…. I can even g-go," his voice squeaked a little, "if you want me to…, if you want to be alone that is, but if you d-don't… want to be alone… and want to stay up here…, I wouldn't mind…." He started rocking on the balls of his shoes. "I, uh," he swallowed thickly and looked at the floor for a brief moment before meeting her eyes again, "I miss," his eyebrows lifted, "your company."

Paige inhaled a deep breath and reached out to touch his arm. "To be honest," she took a step forward, "I miss the old us too." She sadly smiled. "We used to talk a lot."

Walter nodded swiftly but didn't say anything.

Paige took another step closer to him; it was the closest she'd been to him in months, and he inwardly basked in her closeness, not knowing when or if he would ever be this close to her again. "Do you…," She bit her lip and looked at him through her thick, dark lashes, "Do you _want _to talk?"

Walter, again, nodded swiftly.

"Okay," Paige softly smiled and grabbed his wrist before tugging him towards the stairs leading towards the roof. "Let's talk, then."

Walter pursed his lips and followed her up the steps. "Okay."

**~ SCORPION ~**

For the first time in weeks, Walter's spirits started to return. He and Paige had spent well over a half hour catching up on little things, and he was extraordinary glad he was able to have an uninterrupted, somewhat deep and somewhat intimate conversation with Paige Dineen without any yelling. He missed this. He missed her.

"I know you're probably the _last _person to want to hear this, but…," Paige hesitated as she stared out into the city as the wind gently blew her hair away from her face, "I need someone to talk to…, and I don't want to talk about this to anybody else…."

"I told you once before," Walter said as he leaned over the edge and glanced at her, "you can tell me anything…. Even though our… relationship has been strained, I, uh," he was now looking at the tiny cars buzzing below them, "I hope you know I'm always here… for you…," he looked at her as she turned towards him, "and Ralph." _But not Tim. Never Tim._

"I know," she smiled slowly and sighed with a shrug. "I don't know what's going on, but," she was looking towards the city again, "I think something's off with Tim."

"What do you mean?" Walter was suddenly more alert. "Is he… violent? Aggressive?"

"No," Paige shook her head before grabbing Walter's hands. "No, Walter. He's not. I promise." Her soothing touch calmed him a little, and he was grateful she didn't let his palms go right away. "It's just that," she continued quietly, "he's hiding something…. He says he's not, but I've been around enough lying men to know he's not telling me something…, and it's aggravating as hell not knowing what's going on." She paused as she found Walter's deep brown eyes. "Has Tim… I don't know… has he said anything to you about _anything_?"

Walter shook his head. "No. He hasn't." He waited a beat and then, "do you want me to look into it for you?"

"No, no," Paige waved dismissively, "don't do that. I'm sure it's nothing too serious – otherwise, he would have said something to me…. Surely." Paige angled herself towards Walter and leaned against the edge. "If Tim ever told you anything or gave you any indication of something alarming, you would tell me, yes?"

"In a heartbeat." Walter nodded way too swiftly. "Especially if it had anything to do with you and / or Ralph."

"You promise?"

"Yes," came his quick reply.

"Thank you," Paige smiled appreciatively.

"Mhmm," Walter mumbled before clearing his throat. He pulled out his phone and noted the time. "We should probably go back downstairs before the team starts looking for us. The last thing we need is…," Walter coughed as his body grew hot, "assumptions made about us."

Paige flushed and nodded in agreement. "Yes. Good idea." She then grabbed his wrist much like she did earlier, and tugged him towards the door.

As they descended from the roof and reentered the loft, they fortunately found the loft empty. Eventually, Paige released Walter's hand as they approached his computer. He sank into his rolling chair as Paige walked towards Ferret Bueller's unit. She opened the door and scooped the sleeping ferret into her arms before walking back towards Walter. "I missed this little guy, too," she laughed melodiously as Ferret Bueller snuggled against her bosom. "Has he been a good boy these past few weeks?"

The genius nodded. "I sometimes have a hard time getting him to interact with me when I want to train him, but for the most part, he's generally good."

"That's good," Paige grinned as she pecked a kiss on top of the ferret's crown.

"Yes," Walter's eyes absentmindedly zeroed in on the email listed at the top of his inbox. He slowly read the subject, and then the content before jumping up abruptly. Quickly, he sent the email off to print and then ripped it from the printing tray as soon as it was done. "Sorry," he looked back at Paige, "I… I have to go downstairs and have a little chat with your _boyfriend_."

And before he heard Paige's response, he was already flying down the stairs. He spotted Tim pouring himself yet another cup of coffee and marched up to him, slamming the printout on the counter. "What's this!?"

Toby, Happy, Sylvester, Cabe and Paige, who had just rushed down the stairs, all stared at the genius with curiosity and surprise.

Tim took a second to glance at the email and muttered, "Let's take this outside."

"Why?!" Walter clenched his fists, "So no one else can find out?!"

Tim put down his coffee and gripped Walter's arm tightly, purposely causing the genius a little discomfort. "I said," the Navy SEAL mumbled through gritted teeth, "Outside." Before the genius could protest, Tim grabbed the email printout and dragged Walter towards the double doors in the back of the garage as everyone else but Paige resumed to their tasks.

She swiftly hustled over to the doors and saw Tim pulling Walter towards the other side of the alley as though he didn't want anybody to know what they were going to say. Paige tiptoed outside of the garage and approached them quietly, needing to know what Tim was hiding.

"Just when the hell were you going to tell us about this?!" Walter roared as he slammed his hand against the brick.

"When the time was right," was all Tim said.

"Does Paige know?!"

"No. She doesn't, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible." Tim released Walter's arm and leaned against the brick wall. "She doesn't need to know yet."

"She has every right to know! So does Ralph!" Walter threw his hands outward, wanting – so badly – to punch the big, macho man. "You can't keep them in the dark like this! Paige… Ralph…," Walter clenched his fists tighter, "They've been through way too much heartbreak and abandonment over the years, and granted, I've never liked you and Paige dating, but if being with you is what makes her happy..., then you _cannot _do this to her."

"It's none of your business, Walter. Really," Tim frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, "It's not. I'll handle this how I want, and I'll tell Paige _when _I want." Tim pushed Walter's shoulder against the wall as he circled around him. "Butt. Out."

"And _when _were you going to tell her?!" Walter called out to him, forcing the SEAL to stop walking. "The day before?! The morning of?! When, Tim? When were you planning to tell Paige you were resigning from your Scorpion post and rejoining your unit for a long-term covert mission?!"

Tim spun on his heel and marched up to Walter, jabbing his forefinger hard against the genius's chest. "You listen here, O'Brien. Not a word to anybody about my new assignment. Got that?! I'll tell Paige on my own time so you butt out effective immediately. If I find out you've said a word to _anybody_, you won't like me very much. I promised Cabe I wouldn't punch you for your little quiet confession weeks ago, but I swear, if I catch you running that mouth of yours, you won't be so lucky."

Walter ignored the man's threat as his voice darkened. "If you don't go back and tell Paige _right now_, then I will." He started to move, but Tim slammed his shoulder back against the wall. Hard.

"No, you won't." Tim glared at him, but despite his discomfort and pain, Walter was unfazed. "You're not her boyfriend, remember? You don't have a say in what's best for her."

"You're right. I'm not her boyfriend," Walter knocked Tim's hand away from him, "And maybe I'll never _be _her boyfriend, or anything beyond that, but I still love her, and I have learned from past experience that the only person who can decide what's best for Paige _is _Paige. You have no right to keep that information from her. Like you said," Walter's frown deepened. "You're her boyfriend. She deserves to know because the _worst thing _you can do right now is leave without warning. She, nor Ralph, will never forgive you, and if you hurt her feelings and break her heart, I will go online, and I will erase you."

As Walter pushed past Tim and headed towards the garage, he stopped dead in his tracks, and his anger softened into what he could only describe as sympathy. "Paige."

A strong hand gripped his shoulder and jerked him backwards. "We're not done speaking, O'Bri—" the Interloper froze in place as Paige's wide eyes, laced with hurt, confusion, and anger, stared at him.

"Paige," Tim gulped before approaching her slowly, "I can explain." He reached for her shoulder, but she jerked away from him and took several steps back.

"Don't!" Paige snapped, holding up her hand in front of her. "Just don't!"

As he took another step towards her, Walter circled around him and splayed his hand against the SEAL's chest. "I suggest you take a step back."

Tim flared his nose and gave Walter a dirty look but complied. "Paige," he called her name again, "just let me explain!"

"And then what?!" Paige snapped her angry eyes towards him. "You think everything is going to be okay after lying to me like that!?"

"Paige," Tim frowned, "I didn't lie to you."

"You didn't tell me the truth either!" Paige fumed, throwing her arms outward. "What were you expecting to do?! Try to get me to have sex with you first in case I didn't take the news well the next morning?!"

"You know I'm not like that," Tim gravely replied sourly. "I was just going to wait until after the weekend to tell you."

"Oh, you mean that you were just waiting until _after _we come back from our planned vacation to the Grand Canyon which may have or may not have involved our first time having sex!" Paige stormed up to the SEAL and slapped him hard on the cheek. "In case it wasn't clear," Paige backed away from him, "we are _so _done."

And without another word, Paige ran towards the garage and slammed the door behind her.

Walter then turned towards Tim and frowned deeply. "You disgust me. I want you gone tomorrow." Before the man could respond, Walter chased after Paige, hoping he could somehow make things right.

**~ SCORPION ~**

He had found her lying down on his bed, crying, and like many times before, he didn't know what to do. Should he approach her and comfort her? Should he leave her be and let her be alone? Or, should he go back to the street and find a way to punch Tim's annoyingly perfect face without breaking his hand?

While the last option seemed to be the easiest thing to do, he found himself already making his way to the bed. He cautiously sat down beside her and stared at the ceiling, not sure of what else to do.

For what seemed like hours, nothing happened, but he was overly annoyed with himself for keeping quiet. But before he opened his mouth to speak, Paige rolled herself into him and wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her wet cheek against his shirt. He found himself taking her left hand in his right and wrapping his other arm around her back, securing her to him.

Minutes passed by slowly as they embraced each other before Walter finally called out her name. "Paige?"

"Hm?" She sniffed.

"I'm here if you need me. Okay?"

Paige hugged him even tighter. "Okay."

A minute passed by slowly, and then, "Walter?"

"Yeah?"

She craned her neck to meet his eyes, and he couldn't help but marvel at her beauty. Her eyes might be puffy from crying and her makeup might be messed up from her tears, but he didn't care. She was still as beautiful as she was earlier today. Perhaps even more so. She then smiled softly. "Thank you."

A smirk pulled at the man's lips. "For what?"

Paige dropped her cheek to his heart and whispered audibly, "Everything."

Walter couldn't help the smile coloring his lips. "Paige?"

"Hm?"

Walter bit his lip as he absentmindedly tugged her closer to him. "I love you."

But once again, he was too late. She was already asleep.

Quietly chuckling to himself, Walter look down at the sleeping Paige and smirked before closing his eyes himself. Maybe one day he'll be able to kiss her any time he wanted or comfort her in more intimate ways, but for now, now that the Interloper was out of the picture, Walter didn't mind living for these small moments of absolute bliss with Paige.

She was totally worth it.

* * *

**~ SCORPION ~**

**WriterFreak001: **Wow! This ended up being longer than intended! Yay! I hope you enjoyed this last installment of the Waige Chronicles. :) I hope it didn't disappoint!


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